The Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Federation of Government Employees, and the Service Employees International Union, represented by the Public Citizen Litigation Group and State Democracy Defenders Fund, filed a lawsuit against the department for the alleged “unlawful ongoing, systematic, and continuous disclosure of personal and financial information contained in Defendants’ records to Elon Musk” and DOGE employees.

“The scale of the intrusion into individuals’ privacy is massive and unprecedented,” the complaint read. “People who must share information with the federal government should not be forced to share information with Elon Musk or his ‘DOGE.’ And federal law says they do not have to.”

According to the complaint, Musk and DOGE are barred from accessing the data under the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code.

Among the sensitive data allegedly accessed by DOGE included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, birthplaces, home addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and bank account information. The Treasury Department processed more than $5 trillion in payments from millions of individuals in fiscal 2024.

The complaint alleges that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave DOGE access to the financial records on Friday, the same day that Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury David Lebryk, who had warned against it, retired.

In a statement, Alliance for Retired Americans executive director Richard Fiesta warned that any misuse of the data could expose seniors to fraud and scams.

“We are outraged and alarmed that the Trump Administration has allowed so-called DOGE staff to violate the law and access millions of older Americans’ sensitive personal and financial data,” he said. “Seniors are already the most vulnerable Americans to fraud and scams, with FBI data showing losses of $3.4 billion in 2023 alone. We urge the court to quickly act to stop this unlawful theft of our data.”

The White House has consistently defended Musk and DOGE.

“Elon Musk is selflessly serving President Trump’s Administration as a special government employee, and he has abided by all applicable federal laws,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

The lawsuit isn’t the first DOGE has been involved in during its short life — a lawsuit filed on behalf of Public Citizen, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and the American Federation of Government Employees mere moments after Trump was sworn into office alleged a violation of federal transparency rules outlined in the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

“This is not about cutting redundant staff; this is about billionaires gutting important programs that American citizens across the country rely on every single day without adequate transparency or accountability,” Ambassador Norm Eisen, co-founder and executive chairman of State Democracy Defenders Fund, said in a statement. “We are a country where everyone is beholden to the rule of law. No one, no matter the size of their checkbook or the office they hold, is exempt from following our laws.”