US taxpayers will soon need to sign up with an identity verification company to access their Internal Revenue Service (IRS) accounts online.
Currently, those who have an IRS.gov online account can only log in using their email address and password. This summer, those accounts will stop working, and users will have to verify their identity by creating an account with ID.me, an online identity verification service.
Based in McLean, Virginia, ID.me requires applicants to prove who they are, by uploading a photo of an identification document such as a driver's license, state ID or passport and a smartphone or one with a webcam. Taking a selfie with computer.
While Americans won't need to create an ID.me account to file tax returns, they will need to register with the new security system to access the Child Tax Credit portal, view transcripts from previous years, and an identity security PIN. Receive, view records of past payments and view payment agreements online.
“The IRS emphasizes that taxpayers can pay or file their taxes without submitting a selfie or other information to a third-party identity verification company. Pay taxes from a bank account, credit card, or credit card,” said an IRS spokesperson. by or by other means without the use of facial recognition technology or registering for an account.
The IRS has received criticism for requiring taxpayers to collect their biometric data to access their own tax data.
Jackie Singh, director of technology and operations at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, predicted that the new security requirement "will only lead to further ruin for Americans when their data is inevitably breached."
The IRS said the new process will help ensure that taxpayer information is provided only to individuals who have legal rights to the data.
“Identity verification is vital for the security of taxpayers and their information. The IRS is working hard to improve in this area, and this new verification process is designed to make IRS online applications as secure as possible for the public," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Ratig.