March 6, 2026 · Personnel, Competence & Administrative Failure
· Oversight dispute
Developing
Social Security Watchdog Reviews Allegation That a Former DOGE Engineer Copied Sensitive Databases
In a March 6, 2026 letter to House and Senate committee leaders, the Social Security Administration's inspector general said it was reviewing an anonymous complaint concerning the potential misuse of SSA data by a former DOGE employee, among other allegations. Whistleblower claims later reported in the press allege that a former DOGE software engineer at SSA retained copies of two sensitive databases on a personal thumb drive: NUMIDENT, which holds Social Security numbers, birth dates, birthplaces and parents' names for nearly every living American, and the Death Master File. The whistleblower also alleged the engineer described having so-called God-level access to SSA systems and discussed sharing data with a private-sector employer. Neither the whistleblower nor the former DOGE employee has been publicly identified.
The allegations, if substantiated, would concern the removal of one of the most sensitive personal-data holdings in the federal government by a temporary detailee. They are unproven and no findings have been published.
The inspector general notified Congress that it was reviewing the complaint; congressional committees expanded their own inquiry in the days that followed.
The allegations, if substantiated, would concern the removal of one of the most sensitive personal-data holdings in the federal government by a temporary detailee. They are unproven and no findings have been published.
The inspector general notified Congress that it was reviewing the complaint; congressional committees expanded their own inquiry in the days that followed.