IRS To Adopt Login.gov As User Authentication Tool (fedscoop.com) 27
An anonymous reader quotes a report from FedScoop: The Internal Revenue Service has committed to Login.gov as a user authentication tool after earlier this month agreeing to abandon the use of a commercial tool that featured third-party facial recognition technology. In a statement on Monday, the Treasury Department said it is working with the General Services Administration to achieve the "security standards and scale" required to adopt the platform.
It comes after IRS earlier this month announced a plan to move away from using a third-party service for facial recognition to authenticate taxpayers creating new online accounts. It was forced to reject the technology following revelations that contractor ID.me uses powerful one-to-many facial recognition technology. "While this short-term solution is in place for this year's filing season, the IRS will work closely with partners across government to roll out login.gov as an authentication tool," IRS said.
While Login.gov is not expected to be ready in time for use by taxpayers during the current tax season, users are now able to sign up for IRS online accounts without the use of any biometric data. Any previously collected biometric data will also be deleted over the next few weeks, according to IRS. Despite the move to Login.gov, taxpayers will still have the option to verify their identity automatically through ID.me's tool if they choose. New requirements are in place to ensure images provided are deleted for the account being created. The IRS said in a statement: "Taxpayers will have the option of verifying their identity during a live, virtual interview with agents; no biometric data -- including facial recognition -- will be required if taxpayers choose to authenticate their identity through a virtual interview."
It comes after IRS earlier this month announced a plan to move away from using a third-party service for facial recognition to authenticate taxpayers creating new online accounts. It was forced to reject the technology following revelations that contractor ID.me uses powerful one-to-many facial recognition technology. "While this short-term solution is in place for this year's filing season, the IRS will work closely with partners across government to roll out login.gov as an authentication tool," IRS said.
While Login.gov is not expected to be ready in time for use by taxpayers during the current tax season, users are now able to sign up for IRS online accounts without the use of any biometric data. Any previously collected biometric data will also be deleted over the next few weeks, according to IRS. Despite the move to Login.gov, taxpayers will still have the option to verify their identity automatically through ID.me's tool if they choose. New requirements are in place to ensure images provided are deleted for the account being created. The IRS said in a statement: "Taxpayers will have the option of verifying their identity during a live, virtual interview with agents; no biometric data -- including facial recognition -- will be required if taxpayers choose to authenticate their identity through a virtual interview."
Eye of the beholder (Score:3)
I'm curious to know, is it the use of facial recognition that was the problem or the fact a 3rd party was using facial recognition? If so, does this mean folks prefer the government to capture facial recognition information?
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Outrageous (Score:1, Insightful)
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Wow, some sense from government (Score:5, Insightful)
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If they'd gone with login.gov from the start, some mid-level manager in Washington wouldn't have had that multi-year integration project to pad out his resume.
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If they'd gone with login.gov from the start, some mid-level manager in Washington wouldn't have had that multi-year integration project to pad out his resume.
Or pad his wallet ...
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that's some truth right there.
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Aye...I just had to use this to log into the social security website the other day. What I appreciated was none of that janky as heck face recognition, and out of the door it recognized my yubikey as a mechanism for 2FA
Re: Wow, some sense from government (Score:2)
Yup, it also works with gauthenticator, no muss, no fuss.
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in other news, the ID.me decision makers have received awards for heroically paving the way for login.gov team (or alternatively, expertly running the ID.me pilot project that finally demonstrated the need to use login.gov), and the login.gov proponents have been reprimanded for failing to properly explain the issues in the first place (at the meetings they most likely weren't ever invited to).
From what I know, these decisions are never about idea #1 gets presented, idea #2 gets presented, and a decision is
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Reinventing the wheel (Score:2)
Just use what the Chinese use, they already have a good working system.
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How would you know? All publicity/propaganda goes through whatever their equivalent of a truth ministry is.
If it's anything like the rest of what comes out of china, it's stolen and copied from a western company with a few vital bits missing.
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Been there, done that (Score:2)
Not wild about virtual interview (Score:2)
Seems like every other private financial companies (including banks) seem to be able to validate who you are just fine without any kind of facial scan or interview...
I would be very leery of requesting any kind of deviation from the "normal" way of logging in from the IRS, as I'm quite sure that would get you flagged in the IRS system and possibly increase teh chance of your being audited.
It is better if at all possible to appear completely normal and fully compliant in every way to the IRS.
Otherwise, it's
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"I would be very leery of requesting any kind of deviation from the "normal" way of logging in from the IRS, as I'm quite sure that would get you flagged in the IRS system and possibly increase teh chance of your being audited."
And you are quite sure about this, how? Or just talking out of your ass again?
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It seems like good advice. You don't want to be that blade of grass that sticks out to the IRS.
Government worker here (Score:2)
Maybe it's time the IRS started issuing PIV's / CAC's to people. Seems like something a long time coming and useful not just for government services, but voting as well.
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Or the IRS could just take the money we send them in check form and send checks in the same calendar year as the taxes are filed.
Wait they cant do that!
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Outsider question (Score:3)
Is this site run by:
1. cheaply paid civil servant programmers who couldn't get a real job to save their life?
2. an outside company belonging to some senator's dilettante nephew?
3. the cheapest bastard in an official subscription or whatchmacallit.?
4....