Tax season is upon us, and, just like every other facet of life in the internet age, taxpayer identification is evolving. Recently, that evolution led to a widespread backlash against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) following the initiation of a "selfie identification" option offered in partnership with tech company ID.me. The IRS has announced that it will no longer be requiring image-based verification through ID.me and will instead allow filers to confirm their identities via a video chat with an IRS employee.
"The IRS takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously, and we understand the concerns that have been raised," IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig wrote 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."
Any users who created an account with ID.me will be allowed to remove their selfies starting March 1. Previously, users were required to submit a selfie with the third-party contractor that could be checked against official documents like a driver's license. Video verification was already in place to address instances in which the selfie step failed, but will now be available more broadly.
"In recent weeks, we have modified our process so government agencies can empower people to choose to verify their identity with an expert human agent without going through a selfie check. Agencies can now select this configuration," a statement from ID.me's CEO and founder Blake Hall reads.
When it was announced in November, the IRS's deal with ID.me largely went unnoticed. It wasn't until a security researcher named Brian Krebs reported on the process he went through to get verified that the facial verification program received broader negative attention. Democratic lawmakers recently expressed their concerns that the technology represents a privacy and data security risk.
"[M]illions of Americans use the IRS website annually for a variety of vital functions, and, as a result, each of them will be forced to trust a private contractor with some of their most sensitive data," Representatives Ted Lieu, Anna Eshoo, Pramila Jayapal, and Yvette Clarke wrote in a letter to Rettig. "We urge the IRS to halt this plan and consult with a wide variety of stakeholders before deciding on an alternative."
The lawmakers pointed to the potential for cyberattacks and data breaches of this sensitive information. They also wrote that the program "discriminates against those unable to afford reliable broadband". Technology experts also noted the fact that these programs often work poorly for users with darker skin tones.
While the video chat option is the current alternative to selfie verification, experts say that the service isn't robust enough to handle the demand.
"There's always a concern that ... people will decide to use facial recognition because the other options are too cumbersome and time-consuming," senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Jeramie Scott, told CBS.
Already, tax season has led to a backlog of tax returns and paperwork for the agency, and those looking to verify their identity using the video option have been met with long lines. Officials from within the IRS say that the agency was