Employees at the Social Security Administration’s Office of Government Efficiency may be putting records of over 300 million Americans at risk. This concern comes from a whistleblower complaint filed by the agency’s chief data officer, Charles Borge. He claims that copies of the agency’s database are being created on vulnerable cloud servers.
Borge stated that these data copies seem to lack oversight regarding who has access to them. This absence of tracking means there’s no way to monitor or secure the data, which includes sensitive information like names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and more. The whistleblower disclosure was submitted to the Special Advisor and a Parliamentary Committee from the Government Accountability Project.
He warned that if malicious actors gain access to this cloud environment, it could lead to widespread identity theft for Americans. This could also result in the loss of essential benefits, like medical aid and food assistance. In such a case, the government might need to reissue new Social Security numbers, incurring significant costs.
Borge expressed concern about a troubling pattern of dangerous security access and administrative misconduct that he reported to his superiors, but he remains unsure if any corrective actions have been taken. He’s been the Chief Data Officer since January 27th.
Issues surrounding the privacy and security of personal information have been raised, especially since the previous administration allowed Elon Musk’s Doge team access to various federal agencies, including Social Security. Former officials have sounded alarms about the need for oversight related to this access.
A coalition of labor and advocacy groups had attempted to halt the Doge team’s access to Social Security records, but the Supreme Court ruled in June, allowing them to review that data as part of their efforts to combat fraud and modernize technology. Musk has frequently pointed to fraud within the agency, highlighting concerns related to outdated records.
On Tuesday, the Social Security Administration stated that it takes all whistleblower complaints seriously. They affirmed that personal data is kept within a highly secure environment.
Agency spokesperson Nick Perrine explained that the data mentioned in the complaint is stored in an established secure environment. He added that high-level staff members have administrative access, monitored by SSA’s information security team. They have not identified any security breaches and are committed to protecting sensitive personal information.
