After recent news that the IRS would mandate ID.me facial recognition security to access taxpayer accounts, the IRS decided that US taxpayers who do not want to submit biometric data will instead sign up for a live, virtual interview to create an account. According to the agency, the new authentication system is available as a short-term solution for this year’s tax filing system. The original announcement drew criticism, as it forced taxpayers to submit sensitive biometric data to file taxes. The IRS signed a $86 million contract with ID.me, who will analyze selfies submitted by taxpayers to authenticate their identities.
Civil rights groups and members of Congress have questioned how the IRS could begin the use of facial recognition practices so suddenly and without advance warning. In addition, the organization stated that it was seeking to transition away from using a third-party service, in this case ID.me, to help authenticate accounts. The announcement did not, however, clarify the reasoning behind the initial decision to use ID.me.
Read More: IRS will let taxpayers opt out of ID.me facial recognition with a live interview
