OPM’s Privacy Blunder: Court Smacks Down Government’s Dismissal Attempt!
In a lawsuit that sounds like a plot twist from a spy comedy, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s data sharing with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) violates the Privacy Act. This case could be the most significant Privacy Act breach since 1974.
Hot Take:
Move over, Watergate! We’ve got a new “gate” in town, and this one is all about personal data. If the OPM’s data leak was a movie, it’d be called “The Fast and the Furious: Federal Edition,” starring Elon Musk in a new role as head of the freshly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). And let’s just say, this isn’t going to win any Oscars for good governance!
Key Points:
- The court rejected the government’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit about the improper sharing of federal employees’ data with DOGE.
- The plaintiffs, representing federal employee unions, have shown that their privacy was invaded in a manner akin to common law privacy torts.
- The court found that OPM’s actions were potentially illegal, rushed, and dangerous, extending beyond their normal operations.
- Injunctive relief is being sought under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) since the Privacy Act itself doesn’t provide that pathway.
- The case may set a new precedent in the interpretation of the Privacy Act, harkening back to the law’s origins during the Watergate era.
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