Federal Efforts to Expand Access to Data from State-Run Programs and Individual Privacy
State agencies collect personal data about individuals to administer a range of programs and benefits, such as Medicaid and Unemployment Insurance. Historically, this information, also known as state administrative data, has been safeguarded by states and only shared with federal agencies when necessary to execute federally funded programs and in adherence with privacy and security standards. Recent attempts by the federal government to dramatically expand access to sensitive data that has historically been safeguarded by states run counter to decades of precedent, threatening the privacy and security of millions of state residents’ personal information.
This explainer summarizes the types of administrative data held by state governments, the history of and current efforts by the federal government to expand its access to this information, the potential harms of federal agencies’ and the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) unprecedented access to state data, unanswered questions about the lasting impacts of these actions, and other sources of state data that may come under threat.
Although this explainer primarily focuses on data that states collect to administer public benefits programs, states also collect and maintain personal data like voting rolls, DMV records, and education data, many of which present the same risks and challenges described in this resource.