The IRS will not require facial recognition to verify one’s identity before using its services online, the agency announced Monday.
The Treasury Department is now directing the tax agency to move away from requiring visual verification amid concerns involving privacy and security after the IRS determined that a third-party service would be used to verify identity by comparing two images of the filer’s face.
“The IRS takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously, and we understand the concerns that have been raised,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement. “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 said it would no longer require the use of the third-party service at ID.me and that it would “bring online an additional authentication process that does not involve facial recognition.”
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ID.me was used by having people compare a scanned image of a government-issued ID with a video selfie. Critics argued that ID.me had discriminatory biases and lacked the capabilities to recognize users if they experienced significant physical changes. Others noted the risks involved with collecting such private information from all U.S. citizens.
“This is big,” Sen. Ron Wyden tweeted in response to the change on Monday. “While this transition may take time, the administration recognizes that privacy and security are not mutually exclusive.”
Wyden is one of several congressional representatives who penned letters to the IRS condemning the use of the software.
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The IRS did not provide a date for when it would no longer require people to use ID.me. The agency did claim that the transition would not interfere with people’s ability to file tax returns or pay taxes owed.
