DOGE Uploaded 300 Million American’ Data to Unsecure Cloud Server, Report Says

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uploaded a copy of a Social Security database to a cloud server in June that was not properly secured, according to a whistleblower report released Tuesday. 

The Details: The complaint, filed by the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) chief data officer, Chuck Borges, said the move placed the personal information of over 300 million Americans at risk of exposure. It states that the Numerical Identification System (NUMIDENT) database apparently “lacks any security oversight from SSA or tracking to determine who is accessing or has accessed the copy of this data.” The data includes social security numbers, names, dates of birth, race, and citizenship status. 

For Context: Earlier this month, the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled in a 2-1 decision that DOGE may access sensitive federal data, overturning a temporary injunction issued earlier this year. The New York Times (Lean Left bias) reported that one document Borges obtained to make his report indicated that DOGE was aware of potential risks but went ahead with the data transfer anyway.

How the Media Covered It: The story was primarily covered by outlets on the left, which noted the ‘vulnerable cloud environment’ where the data was transferred, and detailed the extent of the available data. The New York Times said the whistleblower account “underscores concerns that have led to lawsuits seeking to block [DOGE] having access to confidential government data.” The New Republic (Left) wrote “DOGE has massively screwed things” at the SSA. Forbes (Center) included claims from former DOGE head Elon Musk and President Donald Trump that millions of dead people were receiving Social Security payments. AllSides did not find coverage from outlets on the right.

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.