Norms Impact
Social Security Administration ‘will be using X to communicate’ moving forward
Our Social Security agency is moving official public notice off its own records and onto a private platform, weakening transparent, accountable access to government information.
Apr 11, 2025
Sources
Summary
The Social Security Administration will use the social platform X to make announcements going forward instead of posting traditional press releases or memos to its website. The agency is shifting a core public-information function onto a privately owned platform as its public affairs staffing is reduced and regional offices lose fully staffed communications teams. The practical consequence is that the public and press may have to rely on a third-party feed to receive official notices about benefits administration, office access, and policy changes.
Reality Check
This shift threatens our right to reliable notice by outsourcing official government communications to a privately controlled platform that can throttle reach, change rules, or fail without democratic accountability. The most immediate legal risk is not classic criminality but a governance breach: abandoning durable, accessible publication practices invites arbitrary administration and undermines equal access for people who do not or cannot use X. Depending on how notices and records are handled, it can also collide with federal recordkeeping and transparency duties under the Federal Records Act and the Freedom of Information Act, which require agencies to preserve and produce agency records rather than letting “official” communications live only on a third-party feed.
Detail
<p>On Thursday, SSA Midwest-West regional commissioner Linda Kerr-Davis told employees on a call that the Social Security Administration would use X to communicate “to the press and the public,” describing it as the agency’s new communication mechanism. Federal News Network reported Kerr-Davis advised that those accustomed to press releases and “Dear Colleague” letters should subscribe to the official SSA X account to stay current.</p><p>The change follows communications staff reductions tied to reassignments into front-facing field office roles. Officials also said regional SSA offices will no longer have fully staffed public affairs offices. SSA’s last press release posted to its website on March 27 denied reports that local field offices may be closing and included a link to an inactive SSA social media account that directed viewers to follow the press office on X, which is owned by Elon Musk, described as a close Trump adviser and donor.</p><p>SSA has also recently changed verification standards, later walking them back while evaluating anti-fraud policies, amid concerns about access for rural communities and people needing in-person assistance.</p>