A federal judge's decision to reject the government's motion to dismiss a Privacy Act lawsuit against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) exemplifies ongoing tensions over personal data protection. The lawsuit claims that OPM's disclosure of sensitive personal information to Elon Musk's 'Department of Government Efficiency' (DOGE) violates federal privacy law. The court ruled that the plaintiffs, representing federal employee unions, have standing based on established legal precedent regarding privacy intrusions, highlighting the importance of safeguarding employee information against unauthorized disclosure.
The complaint alleges concrete harms analogous to intrusion upon seclusion. That is one of the common law privacy torts, long recognized in U.S. law.
The ruling indicates that federal employees possess a rightful claim in the ongoing debate about the handling of sensitive personal information by governmental entities.
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