A shocking whistleblower complaint has revealed that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) may have put the private information of hundreds of millions of Americans at risk. According to Charles Borges, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) chief data officer, DOGE staff uploaded a copy of the Numident file—a massive database containing every Social Security number ever issued—onto a vulnerable cloud server this past June.
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This database contains extremely sensitive information, including full names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers. If hackers gained access, it could lead to widespread identity theft, stolen benefits, and even force the government to reissue every American a new Social Security number—an enormous and costly task.
What Went Wrong?
Borges explained that DOGE copied the data onto a private server that only they could access. Usually, information this sensitive requires independent monitoring and strict security oversight, but Borges said DOGE skipped those steps, creating huge risks.
He also revealed that there were no verified audits or oversight mechanisms in place to track what DOGE was doing with the data or whether it was being shared outside the agency. An official agency risk report even labeled the project “high risk” with the possibility of “catastrophic impact” if compromised.
How Big Could the Damage Be?
The Numident database is one of the most important collections of government records in the United States. It contains personal information on over 548 million Social Security numbers—covering nearly every American, living or dead.
If criminals or foreign governments got their hands on this, they could:
- Steal people’s identities.
- Access health care or food benefits fraudulently.
- Cause chaos in Social Security programs.
Why Did DOGE Do It?
DOGE leaders stated that they aimed to simplify data sharing between government agencies. In a memo, Social Security’s chief information officer, Aram Moghaddassi (a former executive at Elon Musk’s companies X and Neuralink), admitted:
“I have determined the business need is higher than the security risk… and I accept all risks.”
But critics, including Borges, argue that ignoring security procedures endangered Americans’ most personal information.
Legal & Political Battles
This incident is part of a bigger fight in Washington. Elon Musk and his allies had pushed for DOGE to gain broad access to Social Security data, even removing career officials who resisted. Earlier in 2025, a judge blocked DOGE’s access over privacy concerns, but the Supreme Court later overturned that ruling, giving DOGE the green light.
Privacy advocates and many Democrats warned that this kind of access could expose millions to identity theft. The SSA has also faced criticism for sharing data with immigration authorities as part of former President Trump’s deportation agenda.
Whistle-Blower Speaks Out
Borges, a Navy veteran and former CDC official, filed his complaint with the Office of Special Counsel and Congress, backed by the Government Accountability Project. He included more than two dozen pages of emails, memos, and records showing DOGE ignored multiple warnings from senior security officials.
He also claimed DOGE:
- Bypassed normal security protocols to gain improper access to other databases.
- Briefly circumvented a court order in March that restricted their access to Social Security data.
Borges said he was kept in the dark and even blocked from asking further questions by agency lawyers.
SSA Responds
The SSA insists there is no evidence that the data was leaked. Spokesman Nick Perrine said:
“SSA stores all personal data in secure environments with robust safeguards… We are not aware of any compromise.”
Still, Borges and privacy experts warn that the agency took unacceptable risks. The fear is that if hackers ever find a way in, the damage would be irreversible and nationwide.
Why This Matters for Everyone
This case highlights the fragility of government data security—and the significant stakes involved. With identity theft already one of the fastest-growing crimes, exposing a database of this scale could trigger unprecedented chaos in Social Security, health benefits, and financial systems.
For Americans, it raises the question: who is really protecting our most personal data?
Resources: Story First Printed in the New York Times
