SSA Chief Data Officer Resigns Amidst Whistleblower Claims of Massive Data Vulnerability

The Social Security Administration’s chief data officer, Charles Borges, resigned Friday, just days after filing a whistleblower complaint alleging that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees had uploaded the entire country’s Social Security information to a “vulnerable cloud environment.” His resignation was confirmed by the Government Accountability Project, which is representing him legally.

Borges, who took on the role in January, stated in his resignation letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano that his departure was involuntary, citing “SSA’s actions against me, which make my duties impossible to perform legally and ethically,” and calling it a “constructive discharge.” He further alleged experiencing retaliation, exclusion, isolation, and a “hostile work environment” since reporting his concerns internally and filing his complaint.

In response, an SSA spokesperson refuted Borges’ claims, stating that the data referenced is stored in a “long-standing environment used by SSA and walled off from the internet,” and that the agency is “not aware of any compromise to this environment.” The spokesperson declined to comment on personnel matters.

The controversy follows a Supreme Court decision in June that temporarily lifted a lower court’s injunction, allowing DOGE access to sensitive Social Security information. This access had been challenged by labor unions and an advocacy group over privacy concerns.

Andrea Meza, an attorney with the Government Accountability Project, commented that Borges “no longer felt that he could continue to work for the Social Security Administration in good conscience given what he had witnessed” and confirmed he would continue to work with oversight bodies.

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