A sensitive whistleblower complaint with high stakes has emerged, claiming that one of America’s most sensitive databases holding Social Security information of millions was inappropriately relocated to a private cloud server housed under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The transfer, if true, would expose more than half a billion citizens to identity theft and unleash an unprecedented data crisis.
Allegations of Gross Mismanagement
The complaint was made by Charles Borges, who is the Social Security Administration (SSA) chief data officer. He alleges DOGE published a replica of the Numerical Identification System (NUMIDENT) database in June. This repository contains all Social Security numbers ever assigned, a total of close to 550 million so far along with full names, addresses, and birthdates.
Borges cautioned that the transfer constituted “violations of laws, rules, and regulations, abuse of authority, gross mismanagement, and the creation of a substantial and specific threat to public health and safety.”
At the top of the accusations is SSA Chief Information Officer Aram Moghaddassi, who is described as a close friend of Elon Musk. Borges claims that Moghaddassi skirted safety controls to create an active replica of America’s social security information in a cloud platform “without independent oversight” something that, in his view, is a breach of several federal laws.
Dangers of Mass Identity Theft
The whistleblower emphasized the catastrophic implications if the system were penetrated. He warned that the rogue actors could use the information to carry out identity theft on a massive scale, compromise healthcare and food benefits, and drive the government through the expensive process of reissuing Social Security numbers across the country.
Borges also disclosed that he had been left out of important discussions in his senior role, forced to learn about developments after the fact. He said DOGE employees had been given “excessive and improper access” since March. A federal judge at first prevented the transfer, but the Supreme Court in June overruled that decision, authorizing the move without further security clearance.
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SSA Responds to Concerns
The SSA has fought back against the allegations. Spokesman Nick Perrine, in an interview with The New York Times, maintained that the agency maintains personal data with “strong safeguards” and pointed out that the data are kept in a secure environment, disconnected from the internet.
Perrine insisted that only high-level career officials have administrative access, with tight controls, and asserted that the SSA was “not aware of any breach to this environment.”
Nevertheless, if Borges’s claims are true, the scandal would erupt into one of the largest data security scandals in US history threatening the confidence and privacy of millions of Americans.
