IRS scraps plan to require facial recognition for web users

The Internal Revenue Service is backing off its plan to require taxpayers verify their identities through a third-party process that requires a video selfie, among other materials, after bipartisan opposition over privacy concerns.

"The IRS takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously, and we understand the concerns that have been raised," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig in a statement Monday. "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."

The IRS announced last month it would begin requiring additional identity verification for access to its website, where taxpayers can access sensitive documents like accounts, transcripts, and payment agreements. It would not be required to file taxes.

However, the process administered through ID.me, a private company, was scrutinized for requiring applicants submit a video selfie alongside other documents connected to their identities.

Senate Republicans led by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) wrote a letter to Commissioner Rettig last week highlighting the video selfie as the “most intrusive verification item” because it cannot be easily replaced like a password.

“The IRS has unilaterally decided to allow an outside contractor to stand as the gatekeeper between citizens and necessary government services,” reads the letter. “The decision millions of Americans are forced to make is to pay the toll of giving up their most personal information, biometric data, to an outside contractor or return to the era of a paper-driven bureaucracy where information moves slow, is inaccurate, and some would say is processed in ways incompatible with contemporary life.”

The letter also mentioned an “unfortunate history of data breaches” by both the government and private companies that exposed taxpayers’ personal data, citing the 2015 Office of Personnel Management hack of personnel records relating to background checks.

“The Treasury Department has made the smart decision,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who had expressed concerns about racial and gender bias in facial-recognition systems.