A former employee of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) allegedly accessed two sensitive Social Security Administration databases and planned to share the data with his private employer, according to an anonymous whistleblower complaint filed with the agency's internal watchdog.
The complaint, first reported by The Washington Post, claims the staffer accessed protected databases containing personal information, including Social Security numbers, for more than 500 million living and deceased Americans. The whistleblower alleges the employee said he intended to move the data from a thumb drive to his personal computer to 'sanitise' it before taking it to his private employer.
After leaving the agency, the former employee allegedly told colleagues he retained 'God-level' security access to Social Security systems and told a coworker he expected a presidential pardon if his actions were deemed illegal, the complaint states. It remains unclear when the alleged breach occurred or if it was successful.
Social Security's Office of Inspector General confirmed it is conducting an investigative review of the allegations, according to a March 6 letter to congressional oversight committees obtained by The Independent. The Government Accountability Office is also reviewing DOGE's access to Social Security data at the request of Democratic Representative Richard Neal.
Democratic lawmakers have condemned the alleged breach. Senator Ron Wyden called it 'one of the largest known data breaches in American history,' while Representative Robert Garcia demanded a broader investigation into 'DOGE-related data leaks,' stating the former employee may still have the ability to manipulate data at the agency.
A Social Security spokesperson said the allegations 'have been strongly refuted by all named parties' and dismissed the report as 'fake news.' The whistleblower complaint follows several alleged breaches linked to DOGE, which was formerly led by Elon Musk.
