Washington,
D.C.–Nearly
six months after ProPublica began disclosing confidential, private and
legally-protected taxpayer information, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and
the Biden Administration continue to show little regard about the haphazard
handling of private taxpayer data. ProPublica unabatedly continues to
publish articles naming individual taxpayers while the IRS, the Department of
the Treasury, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice
have all failed to identify the source or sources of the leaked
information. U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the
Senate Finance Committee, led Republican colleagues on the Committee in sending
a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, continuing to conduct oversight and pressing the
agency on its weak responses to the massive
apparent leaks.
From
the letter:
“[…]ProPublica
continues to publish what appears to be confidential taxpayer information that
is protected by law, and as Commissioner, you have been a proponent of the IRS
being allowed access to even more information from taxpayers and a significant
and mandatory enforcement budget. The fact that the source of the
information ProPublica continues to publish remains unknown means that the ability
of the IRS to safeguard information already entrusted to it also remains
unknown. It is possible that ProPublica obtained whatever information it
has at one time from a specific source. However, if the ProPublica
information was leaked or hacked from the IRS, and the IRS is unable to even
determine if a leak or hack took place, this could indicate an ongoing and
persistent problem with IRS information technology (IT) systems and the ability
of the IRS to safeguard taxpayer information.”
The
letter notes known deficiencies in IRS systems and highlights data and privacy
security vulnerabilities involved in contractor relationships. The
Members also request further, detailed information about the IRS’s efforts to
determine a source of the leaks, and what the IRS has done to resolve open
recommendations for curing deficiencies.
“As
we enter month six with no information about how ProPublica obtained protected
taxpayer information, the risks we highlighted in this letter are of growing
concern,” the
letter continues. “It is our constitutional obligation to ensure that IRS
enforcement remains effective, and that requires the IRS to properly secure
taxpayer information.”
Background:
The leak or hack of private taxpayer information and
unauthorized disclosure by advocates at ProPublica cannot be ignored or swept
under the rug. The public needs to know that personal information
provided to the IRS remains confidential, and not available for targeting or
political agendas, especially in light of current efforts to expand private
information collection on American taxpayers.
Download
the full letter here.