ID.me says users can delete selfies following IRS backlash

Verification company ID.me said it will allow anyone who has created an account through the company to delete their selfies from March 1 and that it would allow government agencies using the service to omit completely selfie step.

The move comes two days after the Internal Revenue Service said it would stop using facial recognition technology to authenticate taxpayers when creating online accounts. The IRS’s decision to hire ID.me led to reaction of privacy advocates, taxpayers and lawmakers against the image-based verification system.

Previously, ID.me identified users by asking them to take a selfie and match it with a photo document, such as a driver’s license. If this step fails, some users may confirm their identity with a video chat.

The video chat option will now be widely available. However, it will be up to government agencies using ID.me to decide whether they still require selfies, a company spokesman said.

“In recent weeks, we’ve changed our process so that government agencies can enable people to choose to verify their identity with an expert human agent without going through a selfie check. Agencies can now select this setting,” Blake, CEO and founder of ID.me. Hall, he said in a statement.

It’s not clear how much of the video chat option is, as some ID.me users have complained about long wait times or can’t talk to a video agent. The company increased hiring last month to try to cover higher demand.

“There’s always the concern that … people decide to use facial recognition because the other options are too cumbersome and time-consuming,” Jeramie Scott, a senior lawyer for Electronic Privacy Information, told CBS MoneyWatch last week. Center.

Anyone who has previously uploaded a selfie with ID.me will be able to delete it from account.ID.me starting March 1, the company said.

The IRS rejects facial identification

The IRS said Monday it would abandon the use of facial recognition technology “in the coming weeks” to avoid interruptions during the tax filing season, which is already facing a problem. The delay of returns and procedures. The plan had sparked criticism among civil liberties advocates and regular taxpayers over concerns that the system, which requires users to upload their IDs and send a selfie or video chat with an agent, could provide an amount of personal information to hackers.

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On Monday, four Democrats in Congress urged the IRS to pause its use of facial recognition technology, citing concerns about privacy, data security and access for people without Internet access, echoing the concerns raised by Sen. Ron Wyden and 15 Republican senators. previous week.

In its statement that it will stop using third-party facial recognition technology, the IRS added that it will develop “an additional authentication process that does not involve facial recognition.” He did not specify what this process would include.

“The IRS takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously, and we understand the concerns that have been raised,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement. “Everyone should be comfortable with how their personal information is protected, and we’re quickly looking for short-term options that don’t involve facial recognition.”

Privacy groups praised the IRS movement and pushed for other government agencies to use ID.me.

An IRS spokesman previously told CBS MoneyWatch that the agency wanted to strengthen its security systems, but was hampered by a lack of congressional funding for technology upgrades.

The agency announced its partnership with ID.me in November. But the deal received little scrutiny until January, when security investigator Brian Krebs documented the process of verifying his identity by uploading documents, attempting to take a selfie, and connecting with an agent via video chat. .

When lawmakers and privacy experts voiced opposition to the plan, a U.S. Treasury official told CBS MoneyWatch that the agency was looking for alternatives.

Civil rights advocates have long pointed out that facial recognition is less accurate for people with darker skin tones. Critics also said that requiring taxpayers to use ID.me to access their IRS accounts could also hurt people who do not have high-speed Internet access and the ability to connect with a video agent. .

In a recent interview with CBS MoneyWatch, ID.me CEO Blake Hall said the company’s technology is more inclusive than other identification options, many of which will not verify anyone without a report. credit, for example, and more secure. The company has avoided fraud in “tens of thousands” of cases, he said.

“What we’re doing is just the digital equivalent of what every American does to open a bank account,” Hall said.

In:
• internal revenue service