DOGE threatens Americans’ personal data, says Senate Dem report

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Democrats urged agencies to revoke the Department of Government Efficiency's access to sensitive information until it complies with privacy laws, as it reported that the department is "bypassing cybersecurity protections" at three federal agencies, according to CyberScoop.

The report examined the Elon Musk-created department's role at the Social Security Administration, General Services Administration, and Office of Personnel Management. Based on information gathered from staff visits, whistleblower disclosures, legal filings, and media reports, the committee concluded that DOGE has been putting Americans' personal data at risk and violating privacy and cybersecurity rules.

In one case, a whistleblower disclosure not previously made public alleged that at SSA, an internal risk review estimated a 35% to 65% likelihood of a data breach with "catastrophic adverse effect" after DOGE uploaded a database file known as Numident, which held sensitive personal data but had no additional safeguards in place.

The report further claims that DOGE teams were denied access in some agency offices and readdressed concerns regarding DOGE staffer Edward Coristine and other members who had the ability "to move highly sensitive SSA data into an unmonitored cloud environment."

The committee also urged DOGE personnel to complete the same cybersecurity training as other federal employees.