WASHINGTON. The IRS said Monday that it will allow taxpayers to opt out of using facial recognition technology to access their online accounts and move to a completely different identity verification system next year as the agency tries to soften the backlash against its actions. use of biometric data.
The decision comes after the IRS said this month that will “pass” from using a third-party ID.me service to help authenticate people who create online accounts using facial recognition to verify their identity.
The IRS has embraced the technology as a way to increase the security of taxpayer information and avoid data breaches, which is a growing concern for lawmakers. But activist groups and lawmakers from both parties have expressed dismay, saying the use of “selfie” videos to verify accounts is an invasion of privacy.
tax office, which signed a two-year, $86 million contract with ID.mewill continue to work with the firm. Taxpayers can still scan images of their faces to access their accounts, but those who refuse to use facial recognition technology can verify their identity during a live virtual interview with company representatives.
“Biometric data, including facial recognition, will not be required if taxpayers choose to verify their identity through a virtual interview,” the IRS said in a statement.
Selected photos that have already been taken to create new accounts this tax season will be removed from ID.me’s servers in the coming weeks. Any new selfies taken this year will not be stored on servers, the IRS said.
The buzz over the agency’s use of facial recognition is the latest concern for the IRS, which is behind in processing more than 20 million tax returns for 2020, coping with a staffing shortage and still underfunded. The pandemic has made the tax season even more challenging than usual as the IRS must process additional information related to direct household stimulus checks as well as child tax credit upfront payments.
Republican lawmakers, who have criticized the agency and its ability to keep data private for years, have called facial recognition technology “intrusive.” Democrats agreed, arguing that taxpayers should not sacrifice privacy for data security.
Proponents of facial recognition technology point out that it is widely used in places like airports. They argue that this is safer than providing websites with other identifying information such as social security cards and other personal documents.
The IRS has called the end of facial recognition a short-term solution. He said he plans to use Login.gov, which millions of Americans already use to authorize their identities to access some federal websites. The IRS is working with the General Services Administration to ensure that Login.gov meets security requirements for use during next year’s tax season.
A spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS and has contracted with ID.me, did not comment on the future of the contract with the firm.
The fate of other state contracts of the company is not clear. The Social Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and many government agencies also use ID.me to verify account users.
This month, ID.me reported that implement new options allow government agencies to verify identity without facial recognition and allow people to delete their photos after March 1st.
“We have listened to feedback on facial recognition and are making this important change,” said Blake Hall, chief executive of ID.me.