Whistleblower Says DOGE Put Social Security Data at Risk
This article features Government Accountability Project whistleblower client Charles Borges and was originally published here.
A top data officer with the Social Security Administration asserted in a whistleblower complaint that members of the Department of Government Efficiency uploaded an extensive Social Security database onto a cloud server, putting at risk the security of more than 300 million Americans’ personal information.
The whistleblower report, filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel and members of Congress, said the uploaded data included records of all Social Security numbers issued by the federal government, including full names, birth dates and other personal information. The whistleblower, Chuck Borges, didn’t indicate in his complaint that the database had been breached.
But the account by Borges, who serves as SSA’s chief data officer, adds to allegations raised in lawsuits and by watchdog groups about the risk of DOGE personnel having access to sensitive data involving millions of Americans and failing to take proper steps to ensure its safety.
The Social Security Administration said in a statement that the agency and its commissioner, Frank Bisignano, “take all whistleblower complaints seriously” and SSA “stores all personal data in secure environments that have robust safeguards in place to protect vital information.” The agency said it was “not aware of any compromise to this environment”...
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