IRS Abandons Facial Recognition Plan After Firestorm of Criticism
upstart writes:
IRS abandons facial recognition plan after firestorm of criticism:
The Internal Revenue Service has abandoned its plan to require millions of Americans to submit to a facial recognition check through a private company to access their online tax accounts following a firestorm of criticism from privacy advocates and members of Congress.
The IRS said Monday it would "transition away" from using a face-scanning service offered by the company ID.me in the coming weeks and would develop an additional authentication process that does not involve facial recognition. The IRS said it would also continue to work with "cross-government partners" on additional methods of authentication, but it did not provide a precise time frame for the change or say what the additional authentication process might entail.
The agency originally had said that starting this summer all taxpayers would need to submit a "video selfie" to ID.me to access their tax records and other services on the IRS website. But lawmakers and advocates slammed the idea of mandating the technology's use nationwide, saying it would unfairly burden Americans without smartphones or computer cameras, would make sensitive data vulnerable to hackers and would subject people of color to a system known to work less accurately on darker skin.
"The IRS takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously, and we understand the concerns that have been raised," IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said in a statement announcing the decision. "Everyone should feel comfortable with how their personal information is secured, and we are quickly pursuing short-term options that do not involve facial recognition."
Previously:
IRS Plan to Scan Your Face
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