This is a scary idea. The article says IRS is reconsidering its use of this dicey technology, but it is just a matter of time before the idea resurfaces. The company in this case certainly sounds shady to me. And the implications of losing your biodata to any private company, perhaps with the questionable ethical standards of a Fbk, etc., is terrifying. I am astonished that this has not elicited a firestorm in the media. What do we do? I’m writing my senators, but don’t expect much from that.
I’ve spent the last few months working for Unemployment. Unless you don’t have a computer and a cell phone, you’re required to use IDME to apply for benefits.
I do not want to conduct private/financial/etc affairs on my phone, to the extent that is possible. (Much to my chagrin, I have found that I am FORCED to do these things on my phone more and more)
My PC/desktop computer does not have a camera, therefore, it can not do facial recognition.
I do not want to have to ONCE AGAIN buy MORE STUFF to satisfy the whims of OTHER ENTITIES. Grrrr!
Also, I can’t help but think back to when I had to have surgery on my face. How the hell does all this facial recognition stuff deal with a sudden and definite change in a person’s appearance? What recourse do you have if the software has a problem?
Is this software optimized for White people? (A disturbingly large number for such apps are). That will suck for all the people with darker skin.
Is this private company going to be accountable in any way for individual outcomes, where a person cannot validate their own identity for a perfectly legitimate reason, and then suffers for it? So far, it doesn’t sound like it. The users, who would have no choice about being users of this product, need to have fast and thorough recourse in the event of problems. This is a difficult thing to provide, and it is up to the private company to provide it. I have zero confidence this will happen.
This is another instance of taking something that is their problem (IRS’s inability to confirm identity for online filing) and turning it into our problem. The IRS is not going to suffer, only the taxpayers. My only personal comfort in this particular case, small as it is, is that it is for online filing only. I can always revert to paper filing, because I am not financially dependent on getting a refund. In fact it might encourage me to reduce my withholding a little, so that I will always have to pay (not much, but something) and so I will lose nothing by paper filing, and will in fact gain back the online filing fee that I have been paying in recent years.