Whistleblower from Social Security resigns, alleging inappropriate handling of sensitive American data linked to DOGE.
Charles Borges, the former Chief Data Officer of the Social Security Administration (SSA), has resigned following allegations that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials mishandled Americans' sensitive information.
In his resignation letter, Borges claimed that the agency's actions made his duties "impossible to perform legally and ethically" and caused him "physical, mental, and emotional distress." He also stated that he no longer felt he could continue to work for the SSA in good conscience, given what he had witnessed.
More than 300 million Americans' Social Security data was allegedly put at risk by DOGE officials who uploaded sensitive information to a cloud account not subject to oversight. The potentially sensitive information put at risk includes health diagnoses, income, banking information, familial relationships, and personal biographic data.
If bad actors gain access to the cloud environment, Americans may be susceptible to widespread identity theft, may lose vital healthcare and food benefits, and the government may be responsible for re-issuing every American a new Social Security Number at great cost.
President Donald Trump's DOGE has faced scrutiny for receiving unprecedented access from the Republican administration to troves of personal data across the government. A divided appeals panel decided this month that DOGE could access the information.
Labor and retiree groups sued the SSA earlier this year for allowing DOGE to access Americans' sensitive agency data. The SSA declined to comment on Borges' resignation or allegations against the agency in his letter to colleagues.
Andrea Meza, Borges' attorney, stated that he would continue to work with the proper oversight bodies on the matter. Meza also represents Borges in his whistleblower case regarding the Social Security Administration data exposure. The Government Accountability Project, a non-profit whistleblower organization, is backing him in this case.
Borges served as the SSA's chief data officer since January. His disclosure was submitted to the special counsel's office on Tuesday. The Government Accountability Project, which is representing him in his whistleblower case, posted Borges' resignation letter on its website. However, it's important to note that Borges is being represented in the whistleblower case by the Government Accountability Project, not The Project Government Accountability Office.
Andrea Meza, in addition to Borges' resignation, also added that Borges would continue to work with the proper oversight bodies on the matter. This story has been corrected to reflect that Borges is being represented in the whistleblower case by the Government Accountability Project, not The Project Government Accountability Office.
