Lambert here: Kabas broke this story, according to Wired.
Current SSA employees I spoke to Friday were impressed by [whistleblower Charles] Borges’ bravery and agree with his characterizations of the agency. “His description of fear and intimidation is accurate,” one told me. “Everyone is afraid to get fired at any moment. Everyone is afraid of political appointees.” They also said Borges is “revered by staff and is seen as super ethical.”
SSA has been in the spotlight at multiple points since Trump was inaugurated in January, with a lowly loyalist being installed as acting director, to the time Elon Musk was seeking unfettered access to data while baselessly alleging fraud, and again in June when DOGE’s 19-year-old “Big Balls” Edward Coristine began working there. At the time, SSA spokesperson Stephen McGraw told WIRED: “His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people.”
Now as August comes to a close, not only has service not been made more efficient, but according to Borges, data is now compromised as well.
Borges is not the first SSA whistleblower to allege concerns. In a statement sent to Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) back in March, a person who identified themselves as a senior SSA employee who recently left the agency expressed similar worries. They said then-nominee and now current SSA commissioner Frank Bisignano “was aware of concerns related to broad data access being requested by [former Chief Information Officer] Russo for DOGE employees and that the request did not comport with privacy laws, disclosure policies, and agency internal controls.”
The email from Borges also echoes the testimony of Tiffany Flick, a former SSA official who retired earlier this year. In a March lawsuit filing, Flick wrote “I am not confident that DOGE associates have the requisite knowledge and training to prevent sensitive information from being inadvertently transferred to bad actors.”
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