this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2026
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According to a protected disclosure filed with the Office of Special Counsel, Borges told the Government Accountability Project that DOGE officials working at Social Security created a “live copy” of the country’s Social Security records in a separate cloud environment that sidestepped usual security checks.

The group says those lapses put the Social Security information of more than 300 million Americans at risk.

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[–] davidagain@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I was going to guess that it was one of Trump's idiot corrupt collaborators or AI, and here it is, Elon Musk's idiot collaborators.

[–] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago

You mean I couldn't trust my private data with Big Balls?

[–] muelltonne@feddit.org 21 points 1 day ago

I'm sure that this will be more expensive to fix than whatever "savings" Elons ghouls have managed to bring.

[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

I need to move

[–] moseschrute@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

They needed to be changed 5 data breaches ago. Thank you Equifax :)

[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 276 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What a perfect time to stop using social security numbers for specifically the thing they were not designed to be.

[–] TheMadCodger@piefed.social 60 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Except the dumfucks have railed against the idea of a national id number since before they removed "Not to be used for ID" from the SS cards. So instead we have a national id number that was never meant to be one and stupidly easy to figure out.

[–] 5too@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

You know, I almost posted that it specifically says on the back "Not to be used for ID", because I remember that on mine. Looked online to be sure I was right, and couldn't find it, so I didn't post it

I had no idea that they removed that. It's not like they changed function!

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[–] RoyaltyInTraining@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (7 children)

I will keep laughing at Americans till they manage to get their broken democracy to establish an ID system like every other country.

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[–] brown567@sh.itjust.works 56 points 2 days ago

more than 300 million Americans

Last I checked, that's all of 'em

[–] Archer@lemmy.world 113 points 2 days ago (7 children)

They actually need to publicly release everyone’s SSNs so that they can’t be used for authentication anymore, which they never should have been

[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 31 points 2 days ago (4 children)

I’ve been saying this for literal years now. They should release a publicly searchable database of every single SSN, name, and DOB. Force organizations to stop using those as a form of ID, because they’re not secure and never have been.

Give it like a year of lead time. Like announce “March 1 2027, we’ll post the database” and then that gives institutions a full year to figure something new out.

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[–] nosuchanon@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day ago

Capitalism is the most efficient way to distribute resources (to the top).

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[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 228 points 2 days ago (8 children)

All U.S. Social Security numbers may need to be changed

Yeah, sure, and winged monkeys may fly out of my ass. But I doubt it'll happen.

[–] ButteryMonkey@piefed.social 65 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Yeah, honestly they have needed to be changed for years now, what with all the data breaches and stuff.. Pretty sure everyone’s info was leaked ages ago. Nothing has been done because this is how the people in charge want it.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 34 points 2 days ago

We're the unwashed masses. Changing our social security numbers would mean considering us people worth more than a means of exploitation, and the ruling class couldn't possibly burden themselves with the mere thought.

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[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 34 points 2 days ago (1 children)

File a lawsuit against fucking DOGE and MAGA.

[–] baggachipz@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 day ago

And then what? The Department of “””justice””” is part of them.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 91 points 2 days ago

Borges alleges that a little-known federal tech team called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, copied the government’s master Social Security database into a cloud system that lacked normal oversight.

I don't know if I'd call them a little-known team (they're infamous for basically fraud), but point taken.

[–] guywithoutaname@lemmy.world 86 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Regardless of whether or not they are breached, the social security numbering system needs to be changed because it is far from a secure number.

[–] dgriffith@aussie.zone 62 points 2 days ago (3 children)

because it is far from a secure number.

It is only the American obsession with using it as a unique identifier for everything in their lives that has caused this issue.

[–] SketchySeaBeast@lemmy.ca 56 points 2 days ago (3 children)

The problem is they are using Identification for authentication.

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[–] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 77 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Let me guess... just in time for a 2028 election where we all suddenly need our valid SSN?

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 32 points 2 days ago (11 children)

The Trump administration is building a computer system so that States can 'verify' a person's citizenship prior to allowing them to vote.

This system has failed in many, many ways. That makes me think that they would use the SSN database and other intelligence sources in order to setup the system to fail at a much higher rate for everyone but likely MAGA voters.

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[–] Ghostie@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The onus is put on me to protect my info and identity but it’s never my fault when these breaches happen. It’s always a third party or a govt org that drops the ball. It’s so frustrating.

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[–] dhork@lemmy.world 46 points 2 days ago

I'm less upset that all SSNs might end up compromised and more upset that no one is going to get punished for it. If a career Federal Employee did this, they would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

But since it was Elon's friends who did it, everyone in power will just shrug and say "who knew this would be such a big deal"....

[–] ToTheGraveMyLove@sh.itjust.works 51 points 2 days ago (6 children)
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