Encrypted files, Cloudflare sharing, and political outreach surface in DOJ filings

DOGE's mucking around at the Social Security Administration (SSA) has been heavily scrutinized, but now the SSA itself is admitting it slightly underreported the unofficial agency's improper activities within its systems. DOGE employees may have been asked to assist a political advocacy group using SSA data, prompting Hatch Act referrals.

The Department of Justice, acting as the legal representative for the SSA in a lawsuit filed against it by multiple US government employee unions, filed a record correction [PDF] in court last week amending a number of claims made in March by then-acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek. 

According to last week's filing, the Elon Musk–led DOGE effort retained certain SSA system access after US District Judge Ellen Hollander issued a temporary restraining order limiting that access, and SSA data were routed outside the agency on multiple occasions, including through an encrypted file and third-party sharing tools ...