DOGE employee stole Social Security data and put it on a thumb drive, report says

A significant breach of personal data has come to light involving a former employee from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, who allegedly appropriated sensitive information from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA). According to a whistleblower complaint highlighted by The Washington Post, this ex-DOGE software engineer claimed to have stolen two highly restricted databases containing the personal details of numerous Americans, which he reportedly stored on a thumb drive. The whistleblower indicated to colleagues at his new workplace that he intended to utilize this sensitive data, prompting the SSA's inspector general to initiate an investigation into the claims. Although the SSA has yet to respond to inquiries from TechCrunch, the implications of this data access are serious. The individual, who remains unnamed in the report, previously held a position at the SSA and transitioned to a government contracting role in October. He disclosed that he had obtained access to the “Numident” and “Master Death File” databases, which could potentially encompass records for over 500 million individuals, living and deceased. This includes critical information such as Social Security numbers, birth dates and locations, citizenship status, and family details. In a concerning revelation, he claimed to have had what he described as “God-level” access to SSA systems. This incident marks the latest in a series of alleged breaches involving DOGE and the SSA. Earlier this year, two DOGE members were accused of improperly accessing and distributing Social Security numbers in connection with efforts to influence election outcomes in specific states. Furthermore, a whistleblower from the SSA previously warned that DOGE members had put citizens at risk by uploading vast amounts of Social Security records to an insecure cloud server. Last year, a judge prohibited DOGE from accessing SSA systems, criticizing the agency's actions as an intrusive “fishing expedition” for fraudulent activity. Following the arrival of the Trump administration, a number of DOGE employees, primarily technical staff and engineers, were appointed to roles at the SSA, although their specific responsibilities were not communicated to the agency's broader workforce.