A whistleblower alleges that DOGE has put critical Social Security data on hundreds of millions of Americans at risk, reports the New York Times. The new complaint says members of the Department of Government Efficiency uploaded the Social Security Administration's database to a risky server, creating "enormous vulnerabilities," per Forbes. "Should bad actors gain access to this cloud environment, Americans may be susceptible to widespread identity theft, may lose vital health care and food benefits, and the government may be responsible for reissuing every American a new Social Security number at great cost," the complaint reads.
The whistleblower, Charles Borges, isn't asserting that the data has, in fact, been breached, but he warned that the absence of audits or transparency meant there was no way to know how the data was being handled or with whom it was being shared. An official risk assessment cited in the complaint described the project as "high risk."
Borges, who joined the agency in January, says he was excluded from discussions about the data transfer. He alleges that DOGE proceeded despite multiple warnings and that key decisions were signed off by officials with ties to Elon Musk's companies, who had pushed for DOGE's broad access to confidential data. Internal emails suggest DOGE pursued the upload to improve data sharing with other government agencies. Borges's complaint has been filed with the Office of Special Counsel and Congress.
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