Å·²©ÌåÓýͶע

Federal agencies collect and store some of the most sensitive personal data on record: income histories, medical records, immigration details, and even digital signatures. Strict and protect this information. But now, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has bypassed in its push to access the private data of millions of Americans. This raises urgent questions: Who controls this data now? Where is it being stored? And what happens when these protections are ignored?

While the impacts of DOGE’s access to personal data remain unclear, Å·²©ÌåÓýͶע’s Open Technology Institute (OTI) built a new tool to help you understand what pieces of your own data and identity might be at risk today. With so much uncertainty about who is accessing this data and why, this interactive quiz helps connect some of the dots—putting your information and privacy risk front and center.

To discover which elements of your sensitive information are now exposed, take the quiz below.

The information you share with the government represents more than data entries in a massive database. These seemingly small points make up the fabric of your life: a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application to make college possible, a sensitive medical diagnosis, the date you got married, a visa renewal. All are pieces of a larger picture that represents you. And what’s at stake is not just the future of government systems. It’s your benefits, your information security, and your privacy.

If DOGE can access your data, who else can? of government IT systems are on the rise. By security protocols, privacy protections, and oversight, the current administration is making your information to misuse or attack. This doesn’t just undermine privacy; it opens the door to , , , and even . Once your information is compromised, the damage is irreversible.

shows that DOGE is feeding data into unvetted AI systems to automate critical government decisions. This is especially troubling given the current administration’s efforts to as key issues to consider in government use of AI. These efforts make it more likely that AI will be used to make decisions (such as which programs or services to ) based on from unvetted and flawed . This could impact , , and more—with for millions of Americans.

The government has a mandate to protect your information from being improperly or unethically taken, analyzed, shared, or used. While legal protections can and should be , DOGE isn’t fixing the current system—it’s exploiting it.

It’s time to existing safeguards and demand accountability for the harm done. If DOGE’s overreach isn’t stopped, it will set a dangerous precedent: one where sensitive data can be taken, used, and exposed without consequence.

If you’re concerned about how your own personal information is being accessed, contact your representative in Congress and demand answers. You can also share this quiz to raise awareness on social media and across your networks using the hashtag #HandsOff.

As an interactive tool, this quiz is not intended to provide a comprehensive map of all personal data accessed by the Department of Government Efficiency. Instead, it focuses on specific data types—name, Social Security numbers, and other sensitive information—that DOGE has been confirmed to access. The tool is based on credible sources, including news reports, court filings, internal evidence, and official agency disclosures (see sources listed below).

In addition to these confirmed cases, the tool draws on research on federal database structures, the forms individuals use to submit information to agencies (e.g., FAFSA), and the privacy and security measures designed to safeguard this data.

The Open Technology Institute (OTI) team continues to track new developments, including legal challenges and agency actions aimed at preventing further access.

Data Sources

Department of Education

This data includes name, Social Security number, birth date, email address, physical address, phone number, driver’s license number, income and assets information, payment history, credit report, and bank account information. If you or your child have ever submitted an application for FAFSA or received a Pell Grant, your information was accessed.

• District Court, District of Columbia, (Court Listener, February 2025).
• District Court, District of Maryland, (Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, February 2025).
• Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, “,” Washington Post, February 11, 2025.
• Federal Student Aid (FSA), U.S. Department of Education, (U.S. Department of Education, 2024).
• Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education, (U.S. Department of Education, 2020).
• Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education, “” (Federal Register, June 29, 2023).
• Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education, “” (Federal Register, September 22, 2022).

Department of Housing and Urban Development

This data includes name, Social Security number, physical address, employer history, and income and assets. If you have ever filed for child support, your information was accessed.

• Dan Diamond and Jeff Stein, “,” Washington Post, March 6, 2025.
• Office of Child Support Services at the Administration for Children and Families, “,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, May 19, 2022.
• U.S. House of Representatives, 42 U.S. Code § 653 - (Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute).

Internal Revenue Service

This data includes name, Social Security number, physical address, digital signature, hand signature, bank account information, tax payment history, and employer history. If you have ever filed personal or business taxes, your information was accessed.

• Bureau of the Fiscal Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury, (U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 11, 2019).
• District Court, District of Columbia, (Court Listener, February 2025).
• District Court, District of Columbia, (Court Listener, February 2025).
• Matt Bracken, “,” FedScoop, February 22, 2025.

Social Security Administration

This data includes name, Social Security number, birth date, physical address, phone number, income and assets, benefit payment history, medical history, and bank account information. If you receive Social Security, Medicare, or disability benefits, your information was accessed.

• District Court, District of Maryland, (Court Listener, February 2025).
• Gregory Korte, “,” Bloomberg, March 13, 2025.
• Social Security Administration, “,” Federal Register, January 11, 2006.