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IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

krebsonsecurity.com

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Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#141

Post by jfk13 »

gigaflop wrote: post #137
raresp wrote: post #136

Interesting news. But I see a lot of negative comments regarding the biometrics. Here's my two cents. I'm the founder of a biometric users identity check solution, called Typing AI Biometrics ( https://typing.ai ). We identify users by the way they type. Typing biometrics can be used as a two factor (2FA) or multi factor (MFA) authentication method. Instead of combining the usual username + password with an OTP code…

So then, I need to type the same password the same way every time? If I set up an account while I'm still waking up, and then try to use it after lunch and coffee, wouldn't I get locked out due to inputting faster than expected? Or what if I'm on the phone with someone, and trying to type with one hand? That would probably lock me out, right?

How about when I break my wrist and it's in plaster for a couple of weeks? Seems unlikely that I'll maintain my characteristic typing pattern well enough to be recognised...

Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#142

Post by strong2024 »

techsupporter wrote: post #44
Spooky23 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only IDs issued widely by the US government are military credentials, immigration credentials, and passports. Driver’s licenses are issued by states and other entities. They are also fraught with problems as millions of people do not have REAL IDs, yet need to interact with government. The problem is that any bartender who has scanned your drivers license has the information required to scam an online validation…

> If you want good online validation for the public, you need a third party right now. In all reality, this is fine. I have no particular problem with using facial recognition, but I want it regulated and I want recourse. Fine, outsource it to ID.me. But the terms of service better be a page, maximum, and include the ability for me to appeal a decision that says I am not who I say I am and to use other forms of valid…

ID.me does have the ability to appeal the decision by hopping on a video call to complete the registration. They also do have the ability to close your account and through that delete all your data.

Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#143

Post by tzs »

ThunderSizzle wrote: post #78
apex3stoker wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This article[1] has more details. Sen. Wyden[2] has been pushing for more funding to IRS to develop its free file program, but Turbotax has been successful via their lobbying of Republican politicians and some Democratic politicians in preventing it from happening. 1. https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-f... 2. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/opinion/intuit-turbotax-f...

Lol. Its always the Republicans. If it was priority for the Dems, they'd have done it. They have gotten through several other things the Republicans opposed. Anyhow, the better alternative is to return to lower the rates and remove deductions (aside from the standard deduction). Even simpler yet would be to go to a flat tax with an extremely high standard deduction (e.g. ~$50k with ~10% after that). I can't think of…

> Even simpler yet would be to go to a flat tax with an extremely high standard deduction (e.g. ~$50k with ~10% after that).

That's not a flat tax. That is a progressive tax with two brackets.

Once you have accepted that progressive taxes are acceptable, it is hard to see why two brackets is better than three, or 4, or even dozens. One might argue that two brackets is simpler than say 10 brackets, but that is a very weak argument since it is just a table lookup, and nobody can argue with a straight face that a 10 line table is too complicated.

An interesting exercise is to consider what it would be like if instead of a single tax to cover everything funded by income tax we did a two bracket progressive tax for each budget item separately, with the taxes applied serially. By applied serially I mean that the taxable income for tax N+1 is what is left after you have paid tax N.

You then end up with a progressive tax with N+1 brackets where N are the number of budget items (and then you would have a table big enough that it would arguable be complicated!). If you keep the same total budget but divide the budget items into smaller subitems, your tax curve approaches a continuous curve which represents a progressive tax with an infinite number of infinitely small brackets.

I remember working out the equation for that curve once, and finding the result mathematically satisfying, but I've totally forgotten what it was.

Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#144

Post by chayesfss »

raresp wrote: post #136

Interesting news. But I see a lot of negative comments regarding the biometrics. Here's my two cents. I'm the founder of a biometric users identity check solution, called Typing AI Biometrics ( https://typing.ai ). We identify users by the way they type. Typing biometrics can be used as a two factor (2FA) or multi factor (MFA) authentication method. Instead of combining the usual username + password with an OTP code…

typing biometric software has been around for a long time (biorhythm) and from what I remember from years ago had issues with users typing in from different devices all the time, laptop to ext keyboard, iphone to ipad with keyboard, kiosk, etc... I don't think it would be more secure or as you put it "much more secure" than say, user/pass and a push notification as the push notification is out of band. These used to be called 1.5 factor as it wasn't quite 2 factor.

Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#145

Post by psychlops »

woodruffw wrote: post #56
gruez wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the single best entity to hold my data in terms of personal recourse what type of recourse are you talking about? Voting your representatives out?

That’s the slow way, but sure. I was referring to the fact that the government does occasionally react to negative press and roll back plans, as is evidenced by this case. I’ve yet to see Equifax change its security policies based on negative press.

I'm still not clear on what personal recourse you believe you have against a government. I wouldn't consider negative press a personal recourse.

Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#146

Post by ThunderSizzle »

wolverine876 wrote: post #107
ThunderSizzle wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol. Its always the Republicans. If it was priority for the Dems, they'd have done it. They have gotten through several other things the Republicans opposed. Anyhow, the better alternative is to return to lower the rates and remove deductions (aside from the standard deduction). Even simpler yet would be to go to a flat tax with an extremely high standard deduction (e.g. ~$50k with ~10% after that). I can't think of…

The GOP opposes it; they are the obstacle. I think such actions by the GOP has become normalized for people, and so they overlook it. I don't see how you can blame the Democrats, who are voting for it. > If it was priority for the Dems, they'd have done it. Easily said, but as we know, not easily done.

https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs...

https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs...

Seems like the donations are pretty evenly split for the companies that would be the largest lobbies over the past several years. This seems like the case of the uniparty being apparent, where there's no real drive to simplify the tax code because it's something both can blame each other on when nothing is done. Of course, this was the entire point of the TEA Party (which later became manifested as MAGA), which was mainly a conservative movement, so it manifested inside the GOP, but the GOP RINOs in Congress did nothing.

Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#147

Post by niij »

guerrilla wrote: post #114
niij wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. But do note that H&R Block (along with Intuit and others) pay lobbyists to make filing your taxes a difficult costly process. I'd recommend using https://freetaxusa.com (legit, great site for only $15) or paying a local, independent CPA, to file your taxes instead. https://www.propublica.org/article/filing-taxes-could-be-fre...

I'm aware of the cartel and their lobbying. Unfortunately I doubt FreeTaxUSA will work for me as ex-patriot in a slightly complicated situation and there are no CPAs here. I'll check it out though, thanks.

Oh, no! I'm sorry you have to deal with that situation. I've heard filing as an expat is terrible with FATCA reporting etc. I'm planning to move out of the country in retirement but it's still years away for me.

If you don't mind me asking: how does managing your financial accounts work where you are? Do you still maintain USA bank/investment/retirements accounts (via mail forwarding?) or do you have them open in your country? What types of hurdles do you run into?

Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#148

Post by scotuswroteus »

strong2024 wrote: post #142
techsupporter wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you want good online validation for the public, you need a third party right now. In all reality, this is fine. I have no particular problem with using facial recognition, but I want it regulated and I want recourse. Fine, outsource it to ID.me. But the terms of service better be a page, maximum, and include the ability for me to appeal a decision that says I am not who I say I am and to use other forms of valid…

ID.me does have the ability to appeal the decision by hopping on a video call to complete the registration. They also do have the ability to close your account and through that delete all your data.

You didn't respond to the rest of the comment, especially about arbitration

Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#149

Post by scotuswroteus »

mLuby wrote: post #14
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #5

The fact that this was even being considered shows how pitifully little anyone learned from the Equifax breach.

What lesson do you think organizations learned from that breach? (As it relates to this article.) The pattern I see is: 1. Company collects and stores private consumer info. 2. Company gets hacked. 3. Company share price unaffected. 4. Company sued in class-action lawsuit. 5. Company settles by offering discounted/free products to victims of the hack. ("A $50 value!") Lawyers make a few million. Result: company gets…

Do you notice a pattern of state legislatures who sponsor privacy legislation not having online political support or donations from people who track patterns like this? If you're following it this closely, you should be following the political careers of the folks who work hard to pass laws that have teeth and laud them, no?

Re: IRS to ditch biometric requirement for online access

#150

Post by jonathankoren »

RHSeeger wrote: post #133
jonathankoren wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you think you can do better than the standard deductions, you’re more than welcome to itemize — just like today. Pretending that the current system is as good as it can get the for the vast majority of individuals is disingenuous. Just look at every other country that sends out prefilled forms.

> Pretending that the current system is as good as it can get the for the vast majority of individuals is disingenuous Pretending the IRS "knows exactly what you owe and could just tell you" is just as disingenuous. In both cases, it's more complicated than that.

Do you honestly believe that the majority of individuals in the United States have complicated or unusual taxes? Do you believe that most individuals have tax situations that change significantly year to year? I suggest you talk with some European colleagues about how prefilled tax forms work in their home countries. I think you’ll be surprised.
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