Community Chat

[jackthebear]

will be managed by a "3rd party" is the more concerning issue 

[JamandBread]

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@jackthebear wrote:

will be managed by a "3rd party" is the more concerning issue 

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The 3rd party ID.me is also used in some states for unemployment.

[deepwaterdotter]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I have never taken a selfie. Don't own a smart phone either.

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Same for me.  Guess I would have to go to the regional IRS office.

[skatting44]

Not to many yrs ago the OPM was hacked with millions of fed employee records   breached  . All the Fed Gov did was offer 1 yr free credit check ....  that amt's to nothing . It's always oh well .  Our Gov has outdated  equiptment  and  has had hacks before , so this is one more way to have all our info  stored  in one area so hackers can have a hay day . Next there will be fingers prints, .....

[D Kay]

There is so much fraud and identify theft,   I just see this as another layer of protection.  I had someone file taxes using my social security number and to this day I have no idea how they obtained the number.  If someone wants to look at your records online, there needs to be adequate protection against that.

[Oznell]

Whoa, @PickyPicky3 ,  thanks for the alert on this.  I'm starting to notice concerns expressed by those in the cybersecurity and protection of privacy sectors about this new development.  I'm guessing that ill-considered policies like this will be contested.

[Sooner]

I don't think this is true.  Anyone could send a photo that is fake.  Makes no sense and certainly doesn't seem something they could verify.  

[Johnnyeager]

It is absolutely true.

But it will only be necessary to access certain IRS records and data.

It has absolutely nothing to do with filing your taxes, making payments or receiving a refund.  You'll continue to do that the same way you do currently.

How often do you directly access anything from the IRS now?   If frequently you will need to create this account. 

Personally I've never needed to access any of my records from them directly. 

[MorningLover]

IRS to start requiring facial recognition scans to access tax returns

KTVU: Beginning in summer 2022, users who need to log on to the IRS' website to access the Child Tax Credit Update Portal, check online accounts, get their tax transcript, receive an Identity Protection PIN or view an online payment agreement will need to create an account with identity verification company ID.me. (a third-party company)

Existing online accounts, which currently only require a simple email and password to access, will no longer work beginning this summer, the IRS said. At that point, users will be required to create an account with ID.me. 

"Identity verification is critical to protect taxpayers and their information," IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement. "The IRS has been working hard to make improvements in this area, and this new verification process is designed to make IRS online applications as secure as possible for people."

The IRS has stressed that individuals will not actually be required to go through ID.me or use facial-recognition software to submit their tax returns.

But taxpayers will still be forced to use this software in order to take advantage of some of the IRS' most basic tools. The agency is already urging taxpayers to create accounts "as soon as possible."

"The IRS emphasizes taxpayers can pay or file their taxes without submitting a selfie or other information to a third-party identity verification company," the agency said in a statement. "Tax payments can be made from a bank account, by credit card or by other means without the use of facial recognition technology or registering for an account."

ID.me describes itself as a technology provider that offers secure identity verification by comparing a photo ID provided by users with a video selfie. It was launched in 2010 by military veteran Blake Hall and has quickly solidified its place in the identity-verification business, often on behalf of the U.S. government.

Additional IRS tools will begin using ID.me verification "over the next year," the IRS said.

Users must provide ID.me with an email address, Social Security number, photo ID and take a selfie with a camera that will scan the user's face to verify their identity.

[Maggie Nolia]

I don't get it.  Why would I ever want to access their records when my accountant has my records and I also have my records, plus I have even more exhaustive records than my accountant has?