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By Aliss Higham
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The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) inspector general has opened an investigative review into an anonymous whistleblower complaint alleging a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee improperly accessed sensitive SSA databases, the agency said in a letter to Congress.
The complaint, first described in a Washington Post report and detailed in a letter circulated to oversight committees, alleges the ex-employee claimed to retain wide access to SSA systems and handled restricted data sets.
The SSA told Newsweek the allegations have been refuted by the agency, the former employee, and the company.
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Why It Matters
The SSA maintains records on hundreds of millions of people, including Social Security numbers, income, banking data, and health information, making any unauthorized access a significant privacy and security concern as well as a violation of federal privacy and security laws.
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, said the allegations, if true, would represent "one of the largest known data breaches in American history" and called for a public accounting, underscoring the stakes for federal data stewardship and public trust.
What To Know
In a letter dated March 6 to leaders of four congressional committees, SSA’s Office of Inspector General said it is conducting an investigative review into an anonymous complaint about the potential misuse of SSA data by a former DOGE employee.
DOGE employees worked at the agency toward the start of President Donald Trump's second term, which began in January 2025, as part of a push to tackle alleged "waste, fraud and abuse" in federal programs and departments.
The complaint alleges the former staffer claimed access to two protected SSA databases with personal information for living and deceased Americans and discussed moving data from a thumb drive to a personal computer to “sanitize” it before sharing it with a private employer.
The Washington Post first reported elements of the complaint, including that the former DOGE software engineer had said he possessed tightly restricted databases and said he would share data with a new employer.
It is unclear when any alleged access occurred or whether any transfer or misuse of data took place, and investigations remain ongoing.
Separate whistleblower disclosures previously alleged that DOGE personnel uploaded SSA data for more than 300 million Americans to a vulnerable cloud environment.
In January, the Trump administration acknowledged in court that DOGE workers had accessed sensitive SSA data without authorization, shared that data through an unapproved third-party service, and carried out activities beyond the agency’s mission, including signing a “voter data agreement” with a political advocacy group, according to The Associated Press. Litigation in that case is ongoing.
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What People Are Saying
A SSA spokesperson told Newsweek: "The allegations by a singular anonymous source have been strongly refuted by all named parties - SSA, the former employee, and the company. Even the Washington Post admitted they could not verify the information - because it is not true. SSA is focused on continuing our digital-first transformation to deliver better, faster service for every American. The Washington Post is a dying outlet desperate for clicks and eager to publish fake news to scare seniors."
Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said: “These allegations describe one of the largest known data breaches in American history, perpetrated by Trump appointees for the explicit purpose of weaponizing Americans’ sensitive personal data for political gain.
“There must be a full public accounting of this breach at Social Security, including justice for anyone who committed or enabled criminal theft of Americans’ data.”
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York said in a statement emailed to Newsweek: "Tens of millions of Americans provide their information to the Social Security Administration with the expectation that their data will be kept safe and confidential. The unauthorized use of Social Security data is a breach of this inherent trust and a violation of the law. It is well past time that this alleged breach of security protocol is investigated. I will continue monitoring SSA’s response to these allegations until the American people get the answers they deserve.”
What Happens Next
The inspector general will continue its investigative review, and any findings will be communicated to oversight bodies; the office has not provided a timeline for completion. The GAO will proceed with its review of DOGE access to SSA systems and will release a public report when the review is complete.
Update 3/13/26, 8:21 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the SSA.
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