Musk out of control? After Trump, a US judge also calls him back

Frankfurter Rundschau Musk out of control? After Trump, a US judge also calls him back Franziska Schwarz • 3 hours • 2 minutes read In order to contain a "fraud epidemic," the Doge Authority, with Elon Musk, is accessing some very private data. A judge is now blocking it. Washington D.C./Baltimore – Social Security numbers, medical records, bank details: Under the guise of modernization, Elon Musk and his Doge Authority are accessing very personal information. US Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander has now intervened. US judge stops Musk's access to sensitive citizen data Hollander has temporarily prohibited tech billionaire Musk from accessing sensitive data from the Social Security Administration. She justified her injunction by arguing that the panel had been granted "unrestricted access" to "personal and private information of millions of Americans" under flimsy pretexts. The allegations of a "fraud epidemic" made by Musk and his team were based on "little more than suspicion," according to the judge. The panel's investigations were like trying to find "the proverbial needle in a haystack" – without knowing whether the needle was even there. Tesla founder Musk is likely also pursuing economic self-interest with Doge. Donald Trump wants to massively cut government spending and has tasked Musk with implementing it. The billionaire is pushing ahead with the restructuring of the government apparatus with the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), which is attached to the White House. The US President is said to have granted Musk far-reaching, but legally questionable, powers to do so. Doge and Musk's role are now the focus of numerous lawsuits. As the head of Tesla, SpaceX, and X, the world's richest man, according to estimates, has significant economic self-interest. US President Donald Trump urges Elon Musk to exercise caution in downsizing Judge Hollander accused the Trump administration of not even attempting to explain why a measured approach might not be just as effective. Just over two weeks ago, Trump publicly set limits for Musk for the first time. He urged Musk to exercise caution in the cuts to federal agencies. "We say 'scalpel' not 'axe,'" Trump wrote on his online service Truth Social on March 6. It is "very important" to reduce the agencies to the level "where they should be," Trump wrote. But it is equally important to "retain the best and most productive people." The president also described Doge's work so far as an "incredible success." (frs with agencies)