Staffers from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been granted access to Social Security database, raising concerns over whether the nongovernmental body could alter official records.
Newsweek has reached out to the Social Security Administration via email and to DOGE through its official X account, and will update this article if a response is received.
Why It Matters
The Social Security Administration (SSA), an independent agency of the federal government, oversees and administers various programs that provide financial assistance to retirees, disabled individuals, and survivors of deceased workers.
DOGE has said that access to the SSA database, which contains the personal information of millions of claimants, is a necessary part of its wider mission to eliminate waste and fraud from the federal budget and to crack down on potential improper payments. However, access to this information raises concerns about privacy, data security, and the potential misuse of sensitive personal records.
Any changes to the database, if conducted without extreme caution, could jeopardize the benefits of those who rely on social security, resulting in delays, wrongful denials and financial hardship for those who rely on Social Security.
What To Know
The DOGE team has already been granted access to the Social Security database, with Musk sharing some of the findings that have reportedly been uncovered in several social media posts on X.
However, DOGE’s request to do so led to significant internal disputes at the SSA, with Acting Commissioner Michelle King resigning from her post after refusing this access, the Washington Post, Associated Press and other outlets reported, citing people familiar with the matter. King has already been replaced by Leland Dudek, who will head up the SSA in a temporary capacity awaiting confirmation of Trump’s nominee for commissioner, Frank Bisignano.
According to the SSA’s own website, the department operates under strict federal regulations designed to protect the confidentiality of its records, including the 1974 Privacy Act which governs the collection and dissemination of personally identifiable information.
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As a result, except under limited circumstances, disclosure of records themselves ordinarily requires the written consent of the subject, and any attempt to erase these outright would likely encounter numerous legal and institutional hurdles.
Concerns about unauthorized access and potential misuse of data are valid, however, with some warning that granting a nongovernmental department access to the database could render it vulnerable to other actors who may try to erase records. There are also concerns that leaks of personal information, including addresses and Social Security numbers, could provide scammers with more opportunities to exploit Americans.
However, there is currently no evidence to suggest that Musk’s access could lead to the erasure of Social Security records by DOGE itself, nor that DOGE is currently intent on doing so, besides Musk’s claims of incomplete or fake records.
What People Are Saying
Nancy Altman, president of advocacy group Social Security Works and chair of the Strengthen Social Security coalition, in a statement released on Monday, said: “The information collected and securely held by the Social Security Administration is highly sensitive. SSA has data on everyone who has a Social Security number, which is virtually all Americans, everyone who has Medicare, and every low-income American who has applied for Social Security’s means-tested companion program, Supplemental Security Income.
“Older people are disproportionately susceptible to scams. The data at SSA leaking would make the numbers of scams skyrocket. And, if there is an intent to punish perceived enemies, someone could erase your earnings record, making it impossible to collect the Social Security and Medicare benefits you have earned.
“There is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is. And my understanding is that it has already occurred.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News: “President Trump has directed Elon Musk and the DOGE team to identify fraud at the Social Security Administration. They haven’t dug into the books yet, but they suspect that there are tens of millions of deceased people who are receiving fraudulent Social Security payments and so their goal in going into the Social Security Administration is to identify three things: Number one, to identify duplicate payments and to end them, Number two, to identify payments that are going to deceased people who are no longer living and should no longer be receiving that money and number three, to protect the integrity of the system for hardworking Americans who have been paying into it their entire lives.”
What Happens Next?
While DOGE may not be able to erase existing records, others have warned that its intrusion into the SSA database could cause payment delays.
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