College students based in California have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, contending that a government efficiency team led by Elon Musk has unlawfully gained access to sensitive student data. The University of California Student Association’s legal action, lodged in a federal court in Washington, D.C., asserts that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), overseen by the tech mogul, breached privacy laws and federal guidelines by intruding into computer systems containing confidential student financial aid information. The accusations surfaced after a report in The Washington Post disclosed that Musk’s task force had been granted permission to view datasets containing personal details of numerous students benefiting from federal financial aid programs. A source within the Education Department, speaking on condition of anonymity to USA TODAY, confirmed that Musk’s team had indeed breached various databases, including the National Student Loan Database System and the Common Origination and Disbursement System, housing millions of students’ personal and financial data. USA TODAY further reported that a high-ranking Education Department official acknowledged during a recent meeting that Musk’s DOGE team is scrutinizing the agency’s operations. Despite inquiries, the Education Department declined to comment on the pending lawsuit or address queries regarding DOGE’s involvement in its activities. The legal action aims to bar the DOGE team from accessing confidential Education Department data. Aditi Hariharan, president of the University of California Student Association, emphasized the importance of safeguarding students’ personal information, noting that students had not consented to sharing their data with an unelected entity lacking Congressional approval. Hariharan condemned the revelation of student loan borrowers’ personal data as a breach of trust by the government and expressed hope for swift accountability through the judicial process. In a separate development, Rep. Bobby Scott, a Democrat from Virginia, urged the Government Accountability Office to investigate DOGE’s activities across multiple federal agencies, including the Education Department, and to assess the security of their IT systems promptly. Democratic senators also called for increased transparency from the Education Department regarding the situation. The Government Accountability Office confirmed receipt of Rep. Scott’s request for an investigation. For further updates on this matter, please follow Zachary Schermele, education reporter at USA TODAY, via email at zschermele@usatoday.com or on social media platforms @ZachSchermele and @zachschermele.bsky.social.
