Trump Administration Confirms Data Breach by Musk's Doge Team in Federal Filing
In a significant reversal, the Trump administration has formally acknowledged in a federal court document that employees under Elon Musk's cost-cutting initiative, known as the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), improperly accessed and shared sensitive social security data belonging to American citizens. This admission follows months of previous denials from officials regarding any potential compromise of personal information.
Secret Data-Sharing Agreement Uncovered
The justice department's court filing, submitted on a recent Friday as part of an ongoing lawsuit, discloses that a Doge member signed a clandestine data-sharing pact with an unidentified political advocacy group. This group's stated objective was to uncover evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in specific states, raising serious concerns about political misuse of federal resources.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) informed the court that it was unaware of the March agreement until an unrelated review in November brought it to light. In response, the agency has referred two potential Hatch Act violations to the Office of Special Counsel for investigation. The Hatch Act strictly prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities while on duty.
Unauthorised Data Transfers and Access Issues
According to the filing, Doge team members utilised Cloudflare, an unauthorised third-party server, to share data among themselves. The SSA has expressed inability to ascertain what specific information was transmitted or whether it remains stored on that server. In one alarming instance, a Doge staffer sent an encrypted, password-protected file to Steve Davis, a senior adviser to the operation, believed to contain names and addresses of around 1,000 individuals derived from social security systems. Officials have been unable to access this file to verify its contents.
The revelations mark a stark departure from earlier statements by social security officials, who had consistently maintained there was no evidence Doge had compromised personal data. This stance persisted even after former chief data officer Charles Borges alerted Congress in August about unsafe data storage practices.
Legal and Political Fallout Intensifies
The disclosures emerged in response to a lawsuit filed in February by unions and an advocacy group seeking to prevent Doge from accessing social security data. Initially, a federal judge imposed a temporary restraining order, criticising the operation for conducting what was described as a "fishing expedition" based on mere suspicion. Although the Supreme Court later lifted this restriction, the new filing has reignited legal and political scrutiny.
Democratic representatives John Larson of Connecticut and Richard Neal of Massachusetts, ranking members on key House committees, have issued a joint statement calling for prosecutions. They emphasised that Doge appointees, who were never publicly identified or approved by Congress, must face legal consequences for what they termed "abhorrent violations of the public trust." The lawmakers also noted that the filing validates the claims of a whistleblower who came forward in August.
Further Breaches and Operational Concerns
The court document further reveals that one Doge team member conducted searches of personally identifiable information on March 24, even after the agency believed it had revoked all such access in compliance with the court order. The final search occurred around 9:30 am, with full access terminated by noon that day.
Additionally, Doge members had been granted access to several systems beyond what was previously reported to the court, including employee records, personnel access information, and shared workspaces that facilitated data exchange. This expanded access underscores broader operational overreach.
Last April, numerous federal employees from multiple agencies reported to media outlets that Doge operatives had secretly recorded meetings, monitored computer activity, and used AI tools to scan for disloyalty. One housing and urban development employee likened the environment to "being in a horror film where you know something out there wants to kill you but you never know when or how or who it is."
Outcome of Doge's Mission
Launched by Elon Musk at the outset of the Trump administration with promises to eradicate extensive social security fraud, Doge ultimately failed to identify any widespread waste, fraud, or abuse within the retirement and disability programs administered by the SSA, according to the filings. This outcome raises questions about the justification for the operation's intrusive methods and data handling practices.
