A whistleblower has alleged that a former DOGE engineer took sensitive Social Security data to a private contractor, potentially exposing records of over 500 million Americans. The complaint claims the engineer possessed thumb drives containing the Numident and Master Death File databases, which include Social Security numbers, birth dates, and citizenship information.

According to the disclosure, the former DOGE software engineer allegedly told colleagues he had "God-level" security access and planned to "sanitize" the data for use at his new company. The whistleblower reported that the engineer expected a presidential pardon if his actions were deemed illegal. Both the Social Security Administration and the contractor investigated but found no evidence to confirm the claims.

The allegations have sparked congressional concern about DOGE's access to sensitive government data. Democrats argue the claims validate fears about data privacy violations during DOGE's controversial government access. The inspector general is investigating, while the Government Accountability Office continues its audit of DOGE's data practices. A separate complaint from the agency's former chief data officer alleges DOGE improperly uploaded Social Security data to cloud storage last year.