A whistleblower claims that a former senior official at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) copied over 300 million Americans’ sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, names, and birthdays, to a private cloud environment within the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA’s internal cybersecurity officials deemed the decision “very high risk” and warned that reissuing Social Security numbers could be necessary if the data was breached.
The copied data was stored in an Amazon Web Services environment accessible only to DOGE-affiliated SSA employees, lacking adequate security measures. A complaint filed by Charles Borges, the chief data officer at the SSA, alleges that the move constitutes violations of laws and regulations, as well as a substantial threat to public health and safety.
Borges’ concerns were echoed by attorney Andrea Meza, who represents him in the case. “The cloud environment lacks independent security, monitoring, and oversight,” she said, stating that Borges has serious concerns about the vulnerability it causes for nearly every American’s data.
In response to NPR’s inquiry, the SSA stated that its data remains secure, with the copied information stored in a long-standing environment used by the agency. The SSA claimed that it is not aware of any compromise to this environment and remains dedicated to protecting sensitive personal data.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/08/26/nx-s1-5517977/social-security-doge-privacy