IRS To End Use of Facial Recognition To Identify Taxpayers (apnews.com) 55
New submitter Beerismydad writes: The IRS said Monday it will suspend the use of facial recognition technology to authenticate people who create online accounts after the practice was criticized by privacy advocates and lawmakers. The agency said it would no longer use a third-party service, called ID.me, for facial recognition. Critics of the software said the database could become a target for cyberthreats. They also expressed concern about how the information could be used by other government agencies, among other concerns. Earlier Monday, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the agency to end its use of the ID.me software. After the IRS announced the practice would be suspended, Wyden said "the Treasury Department has made the smart decision to direct the IRS to transition away from using the controversial ID.me verification service. No one should be forced to submit to facial recognition to access critical government services."
Not because they couldn't make it work. (Score:3)
They only ended the effort because of the bad press and realizing how mush it was going to cost and cost and cost and so on.
Re:Not because they couldn't make it work. (Score:4, Insightful)
A lot of the stuff that happens is from a company that has a product to sell, and pitches it to solve a problem they never really knew that they had. In many cases it solves a problem that they actually don't have. This unfortunately often gets in the way of working to solve the actual problems they may have, which may require a product from a less charismatic company.
A lot of companies touting AI, and all this other advanced tech, may be doing the same crap that other companies have been doing for decades under the name of Discussion Support Systems, Or just with an old CRUD app, that collects the data and allows the data to be better reported.
The IRS should be at a state in 2022 where we don't need to file our taxes (at least for individuals), but know how much we owe or not. All the companies provide the IRS this info, and if we get audited they know our discrepancy. They don't need AI or Face Recgnonition, they just need a big database that can allow joins.
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The IRS used to use Equifax. But then Equifax got rifled and they had to cast about for a different solution. And there is a problem. The sainted American people have been rooking the IRS out of tax receipts. Blessed are the American people who can never stoop low enough to shoot themselves in the head.
Or alternatively (Score:5, Insightful)
Currently our government does respond to feedback. But it generally is only The regulators and the rank and file employees. The people we actually vote in office don't seem to care what we think since we keep voting them into office.
Seriously folks show up to your primary election and Google the candidates positions. Don't listen to a politician speak. Body language and exciting delivery can make you think things you don't mean to think just like how cool special effects in a movie work.
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Millennials everywhere are bummed they won't be able to do complex/serious financial transactions requiring a smartphone phone. What's the worst that can happen, ok boomer.
But this is the government, I'm sure they'll think of something silly that doesn't focus on the real problems. Maybe something involving an app-based ouija board or something.
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The IRS should get props for at least ending the program.
Right, just like they should get props for wasting billions of dollars on repeatedly trying to upgrade their 1960s computer systems.
By this time, it should be perfectly clear that they're in no way competent to upgrade their systems in any way at all.
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I am happy about this. Sanity won.
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The Wash Post regularly pillories the government for silly ideas. Stop making shit up.
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That and they managed to unite a bunch of congress-people from both parties into denouncing the move. The should never have imbibed the Reagan Kool-Aid of farming out government business to the private sector. Although given their budget cuts, they probably have no choice at this point. Nice work Congress, cut their budget and then run for re-election on the mantra that gov, doesn't work.
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That and they managed to unite a bunch of congress-people from both parties into denouncing the move. The should never have imbibed the Reagan Kool-Aid of farming out government business to the private sector. Although given their budget cuts, they probably have no choice at this point. Nice work Congress, cut their budget and then run for re-election on the mantra that gov, doesn't work.
How can they claim "Government is Bad!" if they don't make it that way?
Cheers: Everyone knows your name. (Score:1)
IRS To End Use of Facial Recognition to Identify Taxpayers
They could have used social media photos to identify people, since those are up and labeled.
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> They could have used social media photos to identify people, since those are up and labeled.
It's all fun and games until a gorilla cashes your tax refund:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news... [yahoo.com]
Re:Getting rid of the IRS would be better (Score:5, Insightful)
Another way to handle it is that a default "tax form" is filed for you if you do nothing. If you wish to claim non-obvious exceptions, you have to file to get your refund. If you procrastinate, the loss is on you, as the value of money usually shrinks over time due to inflation. There would be no reason for the IRS to hound you, for they can collect interest on your delay. (In a few cases they may still owe customers, but the majority would be the other way around.)
Other nations do similar. Rumor has it the tax prep co's lobbied to stop default filing in the USA.
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Correction, should be: "If you wish to claim non-obvious exemptions and deductions..."
Re:Getting rid of the IRS would be better (Score:4, Informative)
I'm sure I'll be labelled a CoNSPiraCy THeoRiST for pointing out that "Filing Taxes Could Be Free and Simple. But H&R Block and Intuit Are Still Lobbying Against It"
https://www.propublica.org/art... [propublica.org]
Of course we all know this could never happen. It would be like big pharma teaming up with the government to swindle citizens... unthinkable fantasy.
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Medical stuff gets much heavier scrutiny than tax practice. While I don't trust "big pharma" to automatically do the right thing, I do know they have a lot of eyes on them per pandemic, including other countries checking in. Checks and balances are generally a good thing. People don't die if their taxes are F'd up such that there is less external attention & scrutiny given to taxes compared to medical care.
(Someday it may happen that somebody commits suicide or can't afford a life-saving medical treatme
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Their mainstream experts seem to agree I's effectiveness is questionable. Those circulating F.U.D are cherry-picking doctors.
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Nobody I know claimed it was 100% effective. Even with the arrival of the Omicron variant, Pfizer vax does a pretty good job of reducing serious illness.
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You are exaggerating. The main goal is to avoid overwhelming the hospitals, and the vaccinated are about 1/7th likely to need hospitalization from Omicron, 1/15th if boostered. In my book, 1/7 is "working fine".
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YOU are horse shit, a sucker for BS. Idiot.
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Why would hospitals and nations all over the world fudge the stat categories? Occam's Razor says you are full of it, not diverse nations and hospitals.
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I'm sure I'll be labelled a CoNSPiraCy THeoRiST for pointing out that "Filing Taxes Could Be Free and Simple. But H&R Block and Intuit Are Still Lobbying Against It"
https://www.propublica.org/art... [propublica.org]
Of course we all know this could never happen. It would be like big pharma teaming up with the government to swindle citizens... unthinkable fantasy.
Um, the IRS sent me advance payments last year that I didn't want, that even they admitted might be wrong (although they obviously knew everything needed to make them right) and that I might have to pay back.
I could tell them not to ... if I could have got this stupid ID.me thing to work.
Meanwhile, Turbotax and HR Block have awesome software that has been around for years and that actually works, and navigates me through the insane rats nest of laws and regulation created by our bureaucratic masters.
So f
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I'm sorry.
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"Rumor has it the tax prep co's lobbied to stop default filing in the USA."
Not rumor, fact.
Also a fact, TurboTax and HR Block have cancelled their free offerings since a court ruled they had to stop hiding the access to the free version on their web page.
Maybe the IRS will finally fix its free filing system to make it less obnoxious. I used it a couple times, but it was easier to do it on paper. The crowning nuisance was filling in a duplicate W-2 on a web page. The IRS has my W-2 already. All they need is
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PS, what they don't warn you about when you retire is estimated taxes. I get to do taxes 5 times a year now. Once for each quarter and the end of year reconciliation. Joy.
One of my coworkers is a 75-year-old part-timer, who still works mostly because he enjoys doing it. The IRS has whacked him hard for underpayment because his required minimum distributions and part-time income somehow -- at least according to him -- thwarted the withholding worksheets a few years running. Maybe he didn't realize the best workaround is to do like you, and turn filing taxes into his part-time job....
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Also a fact, TurboTax and HR Block have cancelled their free offerings since a court ruled they had to stop hiding the access to the free version on their web page.
The facts don't seem to support your assertion. https://turbotax.intuit.com/ [intuit.com]
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Given the Swiss cheese of the tax code, just about everybody has weird exemptions. This is no fix.
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It would be very easy to implement just an income tax without resorting to the regressive problems of a high sales tax / VAT. Payroll already handles most of the heavy lifting for 99% of workers. The end result of automatic payroll tax is that the middle class and lower would pay the maximum amount of tax. The self-employed would have to work through an accountant or billing and payroll system, but it's already a hassle to do taxes as a self-employed person (admittedly it's been about 20 years in the past f
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There could be "luxury taxes" to make it easier on the poor. For example, grocery food wouldn't be federally taxed at all. Items like restaurant meals, cars, and smart phones would only be taxed if above a certain percentile above the average price point. However, there are ways to manipulate prices and deal bundling to wiggle around these. But there are also wiggle items with the current system. It would push the negotiations of grey areas to businesses instead of individuals.
Good thing (Score:2)
I didn't file my taxes yet. Filing early isn't always a good thing.
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I like to work out my taxes early. But I mail the check as late as possible so that it arrives as slowly as possible. By the time it is cashed, I'm paying with inflated dollars. Almost pays for the stamp I used.
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It's just chip and no pin. you can plug your card in the slot or wave it around. and if the transaction is big enough the terminal will ask you to wave a crappy light pen on the pad which it records but doesn't verify.
The system is just there to protect the banks and credit card companies. Once they have a signature, from anyone, the credit card company seems to think that releases them from all further liability. In the end the credit card company can pass any loss onto their two customers: retail business
Well, it was a good ride while it lasted (Score:2)
Come on kids, let's go home.
So what (Score:2)
about the faces already scanned? Will they be deleted? Nobody said anything about that!
what about the data they already got? (Score:2)
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You have to delete your account at id.me and then wait seven years (federal record retention policy). After that, they will supposedly delete your data.
Good luck.
That's nice (Score:2)
Last year, the IRS told me that they were gong to send me child tax credit payments in advance, unless I logged in and told them not to.
I didn't want this fake pseudo-stimulus that was just giving me my own money in advance, so I tried to log in and tell them not to do it. But they required the use of this ID.me.
I didn't like it, but tried to use it. It didn't work - it said it couldn't read my ID. Since I gave them a perfect scan of my ID, I assume that wasn't the real problem - I suspect they genuinely
Why? (Score:2)
Never had problems doing them early like in March.
Need to check my dictionary (Score:1)
Aren't "end" and "suspend" two different words with two different meanings?
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The actual word used was "transition."
When did they start? (Score:2)