👤 Why the IRS wants facial recognition

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In today’s email:

The IRS: Its use of facial recognition, explained.
Chart: Why are gas prices skyrocketing?
Zelle: How the money sender became a hotbed for fraud.
Around the web: Windows 98 nostalgia, newspaper archives, concerts for deer, and more fun internet finds.

🎧 On the go? Listen to today’s podcast to hear about big entertainment investments, an insider trading doozy, how gas prices are affecting rideshare drivers, and more.

The big idea

The IRS and facial recognition, explained

There’s been a lot of controversy over facial recognition software. It’s a little creepy, sure, but activists are also ringing alarm bells about privacy and misidentification.

And recently, a key battle involved everyone’s favorite federal agency: the IRS.

The backstory

In January, the IRS announced it would use facial recognition to verify online users’ identities. Notably, taxpayers don’t have to use the IRS’s website, but it’s useful to see past returns or get info about child tax credit payments.

Users provide an ID photo — passport, driver’s license, etc. — and a selfie, which is cross-checked by ID.me,…