The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is under investigation for a massive Social Security data leak. A former DOGE service engineer allegedly improperly accessed and attempted to transfer sensitive data after leaving government service.
The Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General has begun examining the allegations and notified several congressional committees. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has also been informed.
The complaint alleges that the former engineer, who previously worked at the Social Security Administration, claimed to possess copies of highly restricted databases containing personal information on millions of Americans.
The databases, Numident and the Master Death File, contain records on over 500 million living and deceased Americans, including Social Security numbers, birth information, citizenship status, and more.
The engineer allegedly told coworkers he had copied the data onto a thumb drive and intended to transfer it to his personal computer to 'sanitize' the information.
However, a colleague reportedly refused to help transfer the data due to legal concerns, and the engineer allegedly believed he might receive a presidential pardon if the actions were deemed illegal.
The whistleblower filed a complaint with the inspector general's office on January 9, which was later updated on January 26. Investigators have reviewed the allegations, but it remains unclear whether the data was ever successfully transferred outside the agency.
