ID.me is out

[Lee B]

After lots of pressure from many different sources:

WASHINGTON — The IRS said Monday it will suspend the use of facial recognition technology to authenticate people who create online accounts after the practice was criticized by privacy advocates and lawmakers.

The agency said it would no longer use a third-party service, called ID.me, for facial recognition. Critics of the software said the database could become a target for cyberthreats. They also expressed concern about how the information could be used by other government agencies, among other concerns.

[Catherine]

More details from ZeroHedge (quoting the Epoch Times, which requires registration but not payment).

ZeroHedge on IRS and ID me

[Abby Normal]

1 minute ago, Catherine said:

Epoch Times

LOL Sounds like an interesting site.

[Catherine]

1 minute ago, Abby Normal said:

LOL Sounds like an interesting site.

It is. It's an independent online (and print!) newspaper founded by anti-CCP groups and dedicated to independent reporting. Their bias is anti-CCP and pro-Falun Gong, but they do a remarkably good job as independent and neutral news source in any other area of interest. 

[Lion EA]

As much as I thought it was a horrible idea, security-wise, I was trying to find some time to do it myself. I got kicked out of eServices years ago when they updated and we all had to update our registrations. There is "something in my file" that prevents me from verifying my identity online or via phone. The code they promise via mail never arrives, no matter how many times I request it. The nearest IRS walk-in (appointment, really) center is a few towns away, so hadn't found a free day to make that trek, and then Covid shut down the in-person Centers. ID.me was my last hope!!

[Lee B]

What is so stupid is that the GSA manages a high quality site called Login.gov which is used by many other federal agencies.

However the IRS decided that they needed their own!

[Abby Normal]

5 hours ago, Catherine said:

It is. It's an independent online (and print!) newspaper founded by anti-CCP groups and dedicated to independent reporting. Their bias is anti-CCP and pro-Falun Gong, but they do a remarkably good job as independent and neutral news source in any other area of interest. 

Pass.

[Catherine]

On 2/8/2022 at 11:06 AM, Lion EA said:

I was trying to find some time to do it myself.

A tax attorney I know said their recommendations to pros was to wait until mid summer (when e-services was going to start using it) to give them time to work out the bugs. So I had held off. Perhaps they will go to the login.gov system that cbslee mentioned.  We'll see!