Three major tax preparation firms, H&R Block, TaxAct, and TaxSlayer, have been accused of sharing highly sensitive information on millions of taxpayers with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, according to a report by a group of congressional Democrats. The lawmakers are calling for federal agencies, including the IRS, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the IRS watchdog, to investigate the breach of taxpayer privacy and potentially take legal action against the companies involved. The tax firms allegedly shared personal and financial information, such as income sources, tax deductions, and exemptions, with Meta through their websites’ Pixel code, which was used to gather data for marketing purposes. In return, Meta had access to the data to develop targeted algorithms for its platform. The report also states that taxpayer information was shared with Google through its tracking tools. The lawmakers, including Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Bernie Sanders, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Representative Katie Porter, have called for an immediate investigation into the incident, with potential criminal liability for the firms involved. The report highlights the need for a government-run electronic free-file system for submitting tax returns, which the IRS is currently piloting. This system would provide a secure alternative for taxpayers who are concerned about their privacy and prefer to directly submit their financial information to the IRS.
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