Shocking Claims: Former SSA Employee Reveals DOGE’s Personal Info Mishap!

A former Social Security Administration (SSA) employee has raised serious concerns regarding the mishandling of sensitive government data under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Tiffany Flick, who dedicated almost 30 years to the SSA, has detailed her worries in a legal filing that sheds light on DOGE’s controversial involvement in SSA’s operations.

Flick, who briefly served as the acting chief of staff to the SSA’s acting commissioner before her retirement in February, described a chaotic transition within the agency. DOGE officials gradually increased their influence, eventually pushing out the previous leadership. She fears that DOGE’s actions could lead to a major security breach, jeopardizing the personal data of millions of Americans.

Concerns Over Data Security

In a 13-page legal filing, Flick warned that DOGE officials lacked the necessary expertise to handle sensitive information.

“I am not confident that DOGE associates have the requisite knowledge and training to prevent sensitive information from being inadvertently transferred to bad actors,” Flick stated in her filing.

The SSA is responsible for managing payments for nearly 72 million Americans and handling vast amounts of personal and financial data that are protected by strict privacy laws. Flick prioritized safeguarding this sensitive data throughout her career. However, with DOGE’s involvement, she now fears that those safeguards could be at risk.

DOGE’s Push for Unprecedented Access

Flick first became aware of DOGE’s presence within the SSA on January 30, when mid-level SSA employee Leland Dudek informed her of DOGE’s involvement. One of the DOGE officials, Mike Russo, allegedly instructed senior SSA executives to accept a deferred resignation offer from the Trump administration. However, Flick and others were kept largely in the dark about DOGE’s exact role within the agency.

Flick accused Russo and his team of making “untrue allegations” about improper payments despite the lack of solid evidence. Efforts to clarify these concerns were reportedly dismissed.

Flick was particularly alarmed when Russo engaged in undisclosed meetings with officials from the Treasury Department, the Education Department, and the Department of Homeland Security regarding data sharing.

“While data sharing with these agencies is normal, Mr. Russo’s lack of transparency with the Acting Commissioner about those conversations is not,” Flick wrote in her legal filing.

In addition to the lack of transparency, Flick highlighted that Russo and another DOGE official made sweeping requests for access to the SSA’s systems, including the highly sensitive source code and personal data. Access to this information is typically restricted even to SSA’s top experts.

The master files in the SSA’s Electronic Data Warehouse (EDW), such as the numident, MBR, and SSR files, contain extensive personal information about anyone with a Social Security number. These files include personal details like names, addresses, financial history, marital status, work history, and more. Full access to these files would allow DOGE officials to “read” SSA’s data, though they would not be able to modify the information directly. However, they could still copy, export, or screenshot the data for analysis.

When the SSA denied their requests, Russo and his team allegedly approached the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to override the agency’s security protocols.

Flick argues that these requests violate long-standing privacy protection regulations and pose a significant risk to the security of Americans’ personal data.

Leadership Shake-Up and Growing Concerns

As tensions within the SSA escalated, Dudek, who had been placed on administrative leave on February 14, was unexpectedly named acting commissioner of the SSA by the White House, bypassing higher-ranking officials within the agency. This sudden change in leadership prompted Flick to retire, while former Acting Commissioner Michelle King also left the SSA after refusing to comply with DOGE’s requests for sensitive data.

With Dudek now in charge and DOGE officials gaining unprecedented access to crucial information, Flick has raised alarms that the security of SSA’s data is at serious risk.

“In such a chaotic environment, the risk of data leaking into the wrong hands is significant,” she warned in her legal filing.

Beyond the security concerns, Flick also pointed out that DOGE’s influence could potentially disrupt Social Security payments, which could have a massive impact on millions of Americans.

“SSA serves practically every American in this country. And the agency administers more than $1.5 trillion of the American economy,” Flick explained. “A disregard for our careful privacy systems and processes now threatens the security of the data SSA houses about millions of Americans. The stakes are high.”

As Flick’s legal battle continues, her warnings about the security of SSA data are raising critical questions about the future of the agency’s data protection. This situation also calls into question the broader implications of DOGE’s expanding role within federal agencies.

Key Takeaways:

• Tiffany Flick, a former SSA employee, has raised concerns over the mishandling of sensitive personal data under Elon Musk’s DOGE.
• DOGE officials requested unprecedented access to the SSA’s internal data and systems, which Flick believes poses a major security risk.
• Leadership changes at the SSA and growing DOGE influence could disrupt the security of Social Security data and payments for millions of Americans.

Flick’s legal filing highlights major concerns about privacy and data security, suggesting that DOGE’s expanding involvement in federal agencies could have significant consequences for the protection of sensitive personal information.

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