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From: -hh <recscuba_google@huntzinger.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: Rewriting SSA. Is This A Chance For GNU/Linux?
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2025 16:26:43 -0400
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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On 4/8/25 10:28, c186282 wrote:
> Oh, on-theme, apparently Team Musk's nerd squad
> managed to CRASH a fair segment of the SSA customer
> web sites while trying to add some "anti-fraud"
> feature  :-)
> 
> PROBABLY no COBOL involved ... well, maybe ....


Oh, its worse than that.

"The network crashes appear to be caused by an expansion initiated by 
the Trump team of an existing contract with a credit-reporting agency 
that tracks names, addresses and other personal information to verify 
customers’ identities. The enhanced fraud checks are now done earlier in 
the claims process and have resulted in a boost to the volume of 
customers who must pass the checks."

<https://gizmodo.com/social-security-website-crashes-blamed-on-doge-software-update-2000586092>


Translation:

They *moved* where an existing credit agency check is done, but didn't 
load test it before going live ... and golly, they broke it!

But the more important question here is:

**WHY** did they move where this check is done?

Because this check already existed, so moving where its done isn't going 
to catch more fraud.

Plus front-loading it before you've run your in-house checks means that 
your operating expenses to this contractor service go UP not down.  Yes, 
that's a deliberate waste of taxpayer dollars.

The only motivation I can see is propaganda:  this change will find more 
'fraud' at the contractor's check ... but not more fraud in total.

Expect them to use the before/after contractor numbers only to falsely 
claim that they've found 'more' fraud.  No, they're committing fraud.


-hh