Senate Republicans question IRS partnership with ID.me

Senate Republicans recently questioned the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about its plan to expand a collaboration with ID.me, an action that will require American taxpayers to open an ID.me account to access IRS online resources.

The process, which is set to start this summer, will expose taxpayers’ personal information, including sensitive biometric data, to ID.me, according to a Feb. 3 letter the senators sent to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig.

“While we understand the IRS’s use of ID.me is intended to protect data and reduce fraud, we have serious concerns about how ID.me may affect confidential taxpayer information and fundamental civil liberties,” wrote Sen. Portman and his colleagues.

Among the 15 lawmakers who signed the letter were U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Thune (R-SD), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Todd Young (R-IN).

According to the November 2021 announcement to expand its deal with ID.me, the IRS said taxpayers will be required to register for an ID.me account to access IRS online services, including to check on the status of a return, view balances and payments received, obtain a transcript, and enter into an online payment agreement, the lawmakers wrote.

As part of the registration, ID.me requires a significant amount of personal information, which may include one or more of the following: government-issued photo ID, passport, birth certificate, Social Security card, a video selfie with a smartphone or webcam, and a recorded video interview with an ID.me employee, according to their letter.

“The list above is not exhaustive. There are other items ID.me may require,” wrote Sen. Portman and the senators. “The most intrusive verification item is the required selfie, which is much more than simply uploading a picture; it is submitting one’s face to be digitally analyzed by ID.me into a faceprint.” 

The senators wrote that they “are deeply concerned for many reasons,” including that government and private companies have a history of data breaches and that ID.me is not, to their knowledge, subject to the same oversight rules as a government agency. 

To obtain more information about the IRS’s collaboration with ID.me, the senators asked that Rettig respond by Feb. 27 in writing to numerous questions and requests, including the exact verification measures that may be required of taxpayers; cybersecurity standards and how sensitive data will be stored and protected; oversight issues; and what assurances and rights exist for taxpayers within the collaboration, among others.