US taxpayers will not be required after all to prove their identity through facial recognition software, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has informed in a press release, reversing on the move that was set to take effect next summer after concerns were raised over its security and privacy.
IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig stressed that the agency understands the concerns that have been raised and takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously so it’s turning to pursue short-term options at the moment that do not involve facial recognition.
In order to prevent larger disruptions during the tax-filing season in the spring, the tax authority pointed out that the transition away from the third-party platform would take place over the coming weeks and noted it would have no effect on residents’ ability to pay taxes currently owed.
It also noted that everyone should feel comfortable with how their personal information is secured.
IRS informed at the end of January it was preparing to roll out in mid-2022 a new system using a third-party agency to authenticate new accounts for taxpayers, which included a facial recognition component.
The agency was essentially mandating Americans to submit their personal data to Virginia-based private tech firm ID.me– including a live video of their face – to create the new kind of digital identification they’ll be needing.
Several Senate Republicans and Democrat Ron Wyden, the Senate Finance Committee Chair, previously raised concerns over the new system so Wyden deemed smart IRS’s reversal decision, pointing out that no American should be forced to submit to facial recognition in order to access critical government services
The facial recognition system of ID.me is already implemented in more than two dozen US states that use it to root out fraudulent claims for public benefits, while the federal Social Security Administration also allows users to go through Login.gov, the public alternative of ID.me.
Be the first to comment