House Democrats have accused DOGE, a government entity founded by Elon Musk, of building a "master database" of sensitive personal information, sparking concerns about surveillance, privacy violations, and cybersecurity risks. In a letter to the Social Security Administration's Inspector General's office, Ranking Member Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) alleged that DOGE is combining data from the IRS, SSA, and voting records in Pennsylvania and Florida into a single database.

According to Connolly, DOGE engineers have been accessing the SSA's IT system with "backpacks full of laptops, each with access to different agency systems," with the aim of creating a cross-agency master database. This database would pose a significant threat to government cybersecurity, as it would consolidate sensitive information from multiple agencies, making it a prime target for cyberattacks. Moreover, Connolly warned that such a database would likely violate several privacy laws.

Wired reported that DOGE is attempting to fold this database into the Department of Homeland Security, which has raised concerns about the potential use of this database for mass surveillance, particularly targeting undocumented migrants. The report detailed how "mass amounts" of personal data were recently uploaded into servers at the United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), which processes immigration cases.

Connolly's letter is the first to allege that DOGE is pooling data from multiple agencies into a single database, despite several other House investigations revealing DOGE's data harvesting efforts at other agencies. The Committee has received reports about DOGE's efforts to combine sensitive information held by SSA, the IRS, HHS, and other agencies, which could potentially violate the law.

Privacy advocates have expressed concerns about the implications of such a database. John Davisson, senior counsel and director of litigation at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, stated that the aggregation of data is "building a weapon, essentially, and it's one that can be used in a lot of different ways." He emphasized that this is exactly what the Privacy Act was supposed to prevent.

The creation of a cross-agency master database raises significant questions about the government's ability to protect sensitive personal information and its commitment to upholding privacy laws. As the investigation into DOGE's activities continues, it remains to be seen how this database will be used and what measures will be taken to ensure the privacy and security of Americans' personal information.

In the meantime, Rep. Connolly has urged the Social Security Administration's Inspector General's office to investigate DOGE's activities and ensure that the agency is not violating privacy laws or compromising government cybersecurity. The outcome of this investigation will have significant implications for the future of data privacy and surveillance in the United States.