The Internal Revenue Service says it will no longer require facial recognition software to be used to verify the identities of taxpayers online.

In January, the IRS announced that it was transitioning away from having accounts use just a username and password at IRS.gov for managing personal tax accounts online. Instead, the IRS said that it planned to use the private identity verification company ID.me, requiring users to upload a picture of themselves, to log into their accounts.

But the move sparked widespread criticism, including from some lawmakers, over giving a third party access to sensitive information in a biometric database. Critics also said that it could prompt bias among those with limited internet access.

Source: IRS.gov; “IRS Will End Use of Facial Recognition After Widespread Privacy Concerns,” The Verge (Feb. 7, 2022); and “IRS Says It Will Stop Using Facial Recognition After Controversy Over ID.me Verification,” Fast Company (Feb. 7, 2022)