Senators demand details on DOGE's data access following revelations of improperly shared SSA data

"The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Finance Committee are asking the Social Security Administration to elaborate on a recent court filing which stated that SSA doesn't know the full extent of agency data accessed and shared by the Department of Government Efficiency. In a letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano, Sens. Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked for a briefing on the recent court disclosure, writing that "we take very seriously the SSA's stewardship of any personally identifiable information (PII) in its purview.""

"The government filed the disclosure, dated Jan. 16 and signed by a Justice Department official, as part of an ongoing legal battle over DOGE access to SSA data. Tucked inside were revelations that DOGE associates circumvented agency procedures for data sharing and used unauthorized third-party servers to share data last spring. SSA still doesn't know exactly what data was shared and if it's still on the server."

"The court filing also described how a DOGE employee signed an agreement in March 2025 to share SSA data with a political advocacy group that wants to "find evidence of voter fraud" and "overturn results in certain States," the court documents say. That group isn't named in the court filing."

Senators Michael Crapo and Ron Wyden requested a briefing from SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano after a court filing said SSA does not know the full extent of agency data accessed and shared by the Department of Government Efficiency. The Jan. 16 filing revealed DOGE associates circumvented data-sharing procedures and used unauthorized third-party servers to exchange SSA data last spring, and the agency cannot determine what was shared or whether the data remains on the server. The filing also says a DOGE employee agreed in March 2025 to share SSA data with a political advocacy group seeking to "find evidence of voter fraud" and "overturn results in certain States." SSA made two Hatch Act referrals and learned of the incident during an unrelated review.

Read at Nextgov.com