IRS Confirms Stop on Selfie Technology, So What Happens Now?

ByKelly Phillips Erb February 10, 2022March 2, 2022

At the start of tax season, I reported that the IRS was using new technology focused on photo identification for verification. Specifically, taxpayers who wanted to access online services were advised to create a new ID.me account. IRS referred to ID.me, a self-described “secure digital identity network,” as a “trusted technology provider in helping to keep your personal information safe.”

The day after I posted the story, Bloomberg reported that “[t]he Treasury Department is reconsidering the Internal Revenue Service’s reliance on facial recognition software ID.me for access to its website.”

This week, the IRS confirmed that it would stop requiring taxpayers to use facial-recognition software to access online services.

For more on what the IRS is doing, check out As IRS Changes Course on Selfie Technology, What Comes Next?

Kelly Phillips Erb

Kelly Phillips Erb, known as Taxgirl, is a tax attorney, writer, and speaker who explains tax news, IRS updates, scams, financial crime, and money in plain English.

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ID theft and scams

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