2-7-22 Monday News # 2
U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Friday introduced the Save Taxpayers’ Privacy Act, which would prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from requiring facial recognition technology to pay taxes or access account information.
“It is outrageous that the IRS is planning to force American taxpayers to submit to dangerous facial recognition software in order to fulfill their basic civic responsibility. Given the agency’s previous failures to safeguard Americans’ private data and prevent political weaponization within its ranks, emboldening the IRS with any additional sensitive data or personal information would be a disservice to taxpayers and an affront to their rights,” said Congresswoman Walorski. “In the 21st century, the IRS can use secure alternatives to confirm taxpayers’ identities without resorting to facial recognition surveillance. To protect taxpayers’ privacy and security, I introduced legislation to stop IRS spying and defend citizens’ right to privacy.”
The Save Taxpayers’ Privacy Act would prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from requiring the use of facial recognition technology for access to any Internal Revenue Service online account or service. Read the full text here.
As recently as 2021, the IRS has suffered major data security breaches that exposed the personal information of American citizens. To protect taxpayers’ personal identifiable information, Congresswoman Walorski is a strong supporter of safeguarding Americans’ privacy and security online.
Walorski represents the 2nd Congressional District of Indiana, serving as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Ranking Member of the House Ethics Committee.
