At the beginning of the year, the Trump Administration dispatched the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the Social Security Administration (SSA) with the task of enacting cutbacks at the agency. This sparked continuous criticism from former SSA officials and advocacy groups who felt that these cutbacks and reductions in force will result in delays or interruptions with benefit payments for the most vulnerable of America’s citizens.
Earlier in the year, DOGE had been facing backlash regarding its requests to access the SSA’s databases which contained the sensitive personal information of tens of millions of people. Now, a whistleblower has come forward to share that DOGE officials have uploaded a Social Security database to an unsecured cloud server in June. Here is what you need to know.
Whistleblower calls out DOGE
Charles Borges, chief data officer at the SSA, recently submit a complaint stating that, “DOGE members uploaded a database containing records of all Social Security numbers issued by the federal government, full names, addresses, birth dates and other details that could be used to steal their identities.” The complaint had first been obtained by The New York Times. According to Borges’ lawyers, “the information is on a server that only DOGE employees can access. The server lacks security oversight or a way to track who accessed it.”
“Should bad actors gain access to this cloud environment, Americans may be susceptible to widespread identity theft, lose vital healthcare and food benefits, and the government could be responsible for re-issuing every American a new Social Security number,” the whistleblower report states.
Despite his high-ranking role in overseeing data at the SSA, Borges also notes that DOGE officials had repeatedly kept him out of the loop, failing to include him in their project. In the whistleblower report, Borges also outlines instances where the DOGE officials circumvented court orders earlier in the year, whilst also approving “high risk activities” which disregarded the SSA’s standard review and approval procedures.
Earlier in the year, the SSA had also faced legal action from labor and retiree advocates as a result of the SSA allowing DOGE officials access to sensitive Social Security data. Last month, however, DOGE had ultimately been granted access to the data as a result of a dividend appeals panel.
“In the past, government agencies have worked hard to keep that information safe and secure, both to protect the American people’s private data and to ensure that government agencies don’t use it for the wrong purposes,” Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, shared by email. “All that is out the window now, as Congress and the courts have acquiesced to this dangerous power grab. It has been happening in plain sight for months now.”
What should you do?
There are currently around 300 million Social Security card holders, and whilst the data is said to have been uploaded to an unsecured server, there is no evidence of a breach.
“While the whistleblower’s information is concerning, it shouldn’t immediately raise alarm bells for those with Social Security cards or receiving benefits,” explained Jim Komoroski, registered Social Security analyst. The biggest concern in this matter lies with the way in which the data has been stored. This means that individuals who are receiving benefits from the SSA will not likely be impacted with regards to their payments or eligibility.
“For Americans whose data was shared, the main risk is identity theft,” Komoroski added. “A compromised Social Security number can be misused for credit applications or medical fraud.”
For the most part, you really cannot do much in cases like these, however, it is recommended to enable two-factor authentication, as well as monitoring your credit card statements so as to ensure there are no discrepancies. Creating and making use of a my Social Security account could also prove beneficial as it allows you to conduct all Social Security related business online through a secure online portal hosted by the SSA itself.