By Fatima Hussein
The IRS said Monday it will suspend the use of facial recognition technology to authenticate people who create online accounts after the practice was criticized by privacy advocates and lawmakers.
The agency said it would no longer use a third-party service, called ID.me, for facial recognition. Critics of the software said the database could become a target for cyberthreats. They also expressed concern about how the information could be used by other government agencies, among other concerns.
Earlier Monday, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the agency to end its use of the ID.me software. After the IRS announced the practice would be suspended, Wyden said "the Treasury Department has made the smart decision to direct the IRS to transition away from using the controversial ID.me verification service.”
"No one should be forced to submit to facial recognition to access critical government services,” he added.
The IRS is currently grappling with a worker shortage and an expanded workload from processing tax filings and administering pandemic-related programs. Legislation that would have given the agency billions of dollars to more expeditiously process returns is stalled.
“The IRS takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously, and we understand the concerns that have been raised,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.
“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 agency said the transition would occur “over the coming weeks in order to prevent larger disruptions to taxpayers during filing season.”
The move underscores the pain being inflicted on U.S. oil producers by the abrupt crash in oil prices earlier this month, sparked by the outbreak of a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia and exacerbated by the global response to the coronavirus.
New York is joining California in seriously altering daily operations after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he will sign an executive order mandating that 100 percent of the non-essential workforce stay home. The order will go into effect Sunday night.
Stocks turned lower Friday on Wall Street after New York became the latest major state to mandate nearly all workers stay home to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.) is under intense scrutiny after an NPR report showed that he revealed the severity of the impending coronavirus crisis to a group of North Carolinians in private and warned of major life disruptions weeks before the federal government did the same. And, as the coronavirus outbreak continues to wreak havoc on supply chains, hospitals and markets, new financial disclosures show that Burr made big money moves before the indices showed the historic declines seen in recent weeks.
More than 60 percent of Americans also think a recession will come in the next year, according to a new study by YouGov.
Trump’s coronavirus task force on Thursday afternoon visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency to hear from several governors about the challenges facing their states.
In the morning conference, the governor also waived mortgage payments for 90 days and revealed the spike in new cases bringing the full total to 4,152, the most in the nation.
The drug, hydroxychloroquine, was developed more than a half-century ago and is approved for treating malaria, arthritis, and other ailments. Reports out of China and Italy suggest the drug may help, but there is no hard data yet.
Coronavirus has hit Capitol Hill, as the first members of Congress have tested positive for the virus. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) announced diagnoses late Wednesday.
The palace of Monaco says its head of state, Prince Albert II, has tested positive for the new coronavirus. In a statement Thursday, the palace of the tiny Mediterranean principality said that his health is not worrying.
