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A senior federal official has accused the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) of exposing the personal data of virtually every American to potential theft, according to a whistleblower complaint obtained by reporters.
The filing, submitted by SSA Chief Data Officer Charles Borges, claims that more than 300 million Americans’ records — including Social Security numbers, birthplaces, addresses and parents’ names — were copied onto a cloud server accessible to DOGE staff without proper safeguards or oversight.
Borges alleges that SSA Chief Information Officer Aram Moghaddassi, a close ally of Elon Musk, bypassed internal rules and federal law to create “a live copy of the country’s Social Security information in a cloud environment that circumvents oversight.” The complaint warns the move constitutes “gross mismanagement” and “a substantial and specific threat to public health and safety.”
“Should bad actors gain access to this cloud environment, Americans may be susceptible to widespread identity theft, may lose vital healthcare and food benefits, and the government may be responsible for reissuing every American new Social Security Number at great cost,” Borges wrote.
The database in question, known as Numident (Numerical Identification System), is the master file of all Social Security records. An internal agency assessment cited in the complaint labeled the transfer as “high-risk,” warning of a “catastrophic impact” if breached.
Despite those warnings, Moghaddassi signed off on the transfer in mid-July, writing in a memo that “the business need is higher than the security risk” and that he accepted “all risks.”
DOGE personnel were first granted unusual access to SSA systems in March, though a federal judge briefly blocked it. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned that ruling in June, opening the door for the data migration. By late June, the SSA had “no verified audit or oversight mechanisms” to monitor DOGE’s access to the files, the complaint states.
SSA spokesperson Nick Perrine defended the agency, saying the data is “walled off from the internet” and accessible only to career officials with oversight. “We are not aware of any compromise to this environment and remain dedicated to protecting sensitive personal data,” he said.
The White House referred questions back to the SSA.
The revelations sparked sharp criticism on Capitol Hill. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, blasted the administration in a social media post: “Be sure to thank Donald Trump, JD Vance and their stooges if your ID now gets stolen thanks to their stupidity.”
Borges, represented by the Government Accountability Project, has offered to brief lawmakers directly. His attorney Andrea Meza said he went public “out of a sense of urgency and duty” after his concerns were ignored.
“Mr. Borges’ bravery in coming forward to protect the American public’s data is an important step towards mitigating the risks before it is too late,” Meza said.
The complaint is expected to trigger both congressional scrutiny and a potential investigation into whether DOGE or SSA officials violated federal law in handling one of the most sensitive databases in government.
