'Full and prompt access': Trump orders entry to sensitive government data systems

President Donald Trump signed an executive order 20 March to give more latitude to federal agency heads seeking access to government data systems.

The order, titled 'Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos, is written to promote “inter-agency data sharing” to root out inefficiencies.

The Department of Health and Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of the Treasury and other federal agencies will be required to rescind or modify guidance that restricts access to unclassified records, data, software systems and information technology systems.

It is the latest red flag for privacy experts concerned over the Trump administration’s seeming disregard for privacy norms and personal data.

“This is the loudest signal yet to federal agencies that they’re expected to ignore privacy and security safeguards and give the Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE] full control over the data they hold,” said John Davisson, director of litigation and senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “Nominally limiting DOGE access to what is ‘consistent with law’ is meaningless when the administration is already systematically violating federal privacy laws.”

Musk and the DOGE have previously accessed sensitive systems at the Treasury and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Media reports indicate they have been interested in contracting data at the CMS Acquisition Lifecycle Management system, as well as data at the Healthcare Integrated General Ledger Accounting System (HIGLAS), which contains personally identifiable information on health program beneficiaries.

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Source: Fierce Healthcare, 21 March 2025