The Social Security Administration’s inspector general has opened an investigation into a serious security allegation: that a former software engineer from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) copied two of the agency’s most sensitive databases. According to a whistleblower, the engineer claimed to possess the 'Numident' and 'Master Death File' databases, which together hold the personal information of over 500 million living and deceased Americans.

The complaint, filed in January and reported by The Washington Post, states the engineer sought help transferring the data from a thumb drive to a personal computer to 'sanitize' it for use at his current employer, a government contractor. When initially contacted in January, both the SSA and the contractor said they were unaware of the complaint and later stated their reviews found no evidence to support the claims. The reason for the investigation's launch now is unclear, and neither party provided new comment this week. The watchdog has notified Congress and the Government Accountability Office.

This probe follows a separate August complaint from former SSA chief data officer Charles Borges, who alleged DOGE had mishandled agency data in an unsecured cloud environment. Reacting to the new allegations, Borges told The Post, 'This is absolutely the worst-case scenario. There could be one or a million copies of it, and we will never know now.' The investigation underscores persistent concerns about data security within the high-profile efficiency initiative.

Source: Engadget