In a sweeping digital cleanup, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has removed 12.3 million individuals listed as being 120 years old or older from the Social Security database.
The move comes as part of a broader effort to eliminate outdated records and prevent potential misuse of federal benefits.
Elon Musk publicly praised the effort, calling it a “major reduction in fraud,” and encouraged further modernization across federal systems.
Most of the individuals removed were not actively receiving benefits, but their records had lingered due to decades-old software errors. 🧓
The Social Security Administration confirmed that many of the entries were either duplicates or placeholders from legacy databases.
Officials noted that these errors, while largely harmless, opened the door for rare instances of fraudulent activity.
By clearing the outdated data, the government aims to improve accountability and protect taxpayer money.
Experts believe this will also help improve the accuracy of future audits and benefit reporting. 💼
Some privacy advocates, however, are urging transparency about how such data corrections are made and reviewed.
They emphasize that system modernization should not overlook the rights of living recipients.
DOGE says this is only one of many initiatives planned to tighten recordkeeping and enhance public trust.
With such massive databases in play, regular reviews are crucial to keeping federal programs efficient and secure.
While not affecting most current recipients, the move shows how cleaning up the past can help protect the future. 🧾
