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IRS Backs Away From Use of Facial Recognition Following Uproar Over Privacy Issues

The agency will no longer be using third-party company ID.me’s services to verify the identity of taxpayers.

The Internal Revenue Service will abandon a plan to use a private company’s facial recognition software to verify the identities of taxpayers after widespread, bipartisan backlash from both lawmakers and privacy advocates. The IRS announced Monday it would “transition away” from using ID.me’s technology, effectively ending an $86 million deal with the identity verification company struck last year. Part of the plan to protect taxpayer accounts from security breaches would have required individuals to send video selfies to ID.me, sparking concerns about giving a private company access to sensitive biometric data, and about the software’s possible racial biases. The video selfies would have been the only way for taxpayers to access their online tax accounts on the IRS’ website. “The IRS takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously, and we understand the concerns that have been raised,” Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement. “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.”