Whistleblower says Trump officials copied Social Security numbers
15 days ago
- #data security
- #Social Security
- #whistleblower
- A whistleblower alleges that former DOGE officials copied Social Security numbers, names, and birthdays of over 300 million Americans to a private cloud section at the Social Security Administration (SSA).
- The copied data lacks adequate security, potentially exposing sensitive information to breaches and identity theft.
- Charles Borges, SSA's chief data officer, filed a complaint claiming the actions violate laws, constitute mismanagement, and pose a public safety threat.
- Cybersecurity officials warned the data copy was 'very high risk' and discussed potential reissuance of Social Security numbers if breached.
- The copied data was stored in an SSA cloud environment with fewer security measures than standard protocols.
- DOGE-affiliated officials allegedly disregarded privacy protections, consolidating personal data for efficiency, fraud prevention, and immigration enforcement.
- A Supreme Court ruling allowed DOGE temporary access to SSA's sensitive data, leading to the unauthorized copy request.
- Internal warnings labeled unauthorized NUMIDENT database access as 'catastrophic,' yet the data was transferred under DOGE-affiliated officials' approval.
- The SSA maintains the copied data remains secure within its environment, overseen by career officials and the Information Security team.