Is any government agency hated more than the IRS? I don’t mean at any specific time, just in general. Here’s their latest little escapade:
After an initial backlash over its facial recognition feature, the Internal Revenue Service said Monday it started a new option that will allow taxpayers to sign up for online accounts without the use of the controversial biometric data.
Taxpayers wanting to use its services online will still have to use ID.me to register, but people will have the option of verifying their identity during a “live virtual interview” instead of uploading a video selfie.
“This is consistent with the IRS’s commitment earlier this month to transition away from the requirement for taxpayers creating an IRS online account to provide a selfie to a third-party service to help authenticate their identity,” the IRS said in a statement.
ID.me said in its own statement that the verification process with an agent will take from 5-10 minutes, not including the wait time for the next available video chat agent.
The IRS said taxpayers will still have the option to use facial recognition if they like through ID.me.
Of course, this is just to help us, the victims of their godless theft, and would never ever cross-our-hearts be shared with any other Gummint Alphabet Agency, oh no.
Hey, instead of facial recognition, how about a simple digital signature? Here’s mine:
Fuckers.
Do everything you can to thwart thieves.
Amazingly, there are retards walking around out there that do not believe taxes are theft. Just a guess mind you, but I believe a good crack upside the head will change that stunted attitude.
They need to be “Gibbs’ed”.
WTF!? So I don’t need ID to vote, but I have to prove who I am to get the earned income tax credit for the 15 underprivileged minority children I adopted last year?
No, you “only” need to do this if you need to create an online account. Most people don’t ever need to do so.
It was still creepy.
I have yet to have anyone impersonate me and try to pay my taxes.
They actually want your deductions, credits, and tax overpayment refunds.
MAGA Hat
Dark Glasses
Batflu mask
OK, I agree with this rule. It will not affect me since I do not get anything back from the government. If you use the IRS as a ‘savings account’, you should suffer a little inconvenience. I always make it a point to owe a few hundred in taxes due to insufficient withholding. If they want facial recognition to cash my check to them, they can come over and take a picture.
Now that I’m retired and no longer have to deal with forced withholding, I also arrange to wind up also owing something on my Taxes each year. Even if my tax return just a simple two page return, I would not trust the IRS to calculate my tax return.
No one will impersonate you to pay your tax but baddies have been known to impersonate someone with withholding, allege large deductions, and claim a refund.
It might be pedantic of me to note that the requirement of biometric data is unconstitutional. That is, IFF your face can be considered part of your “person, papers, and effects.” I guess, “Come back with a warrant,” might be considered impertinent by our lords and masters at the IRS.
Your face is generally displayed in public, so you really have no expectation of privacy with regards to that image (unless you’re a Hollywood STAR! and like Gwyneth Paltrow, you think your waste products are worth keeping and selling) and the courts recognize a trademark in your image.
As Flight-ER-Doc implies, with the last two years of Covidiocy, our faces are no longer public property, and requiring an image is as intrusive as requiring a blood draw.
They can ID me by reading the rifling of my M1A barrel.