REPORT: Tax Prep Sites Are Dealing Users' Financial Info
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Tax-prep companies are sharing Americans' most private financial data with tech firm giants like Meta and Google. Ana Kasparian discusses on The Young Turks. shoptyt.com/co...
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"Some of America’s largest tax-prep companies have spent years sharing Americans’ sensitive financial data with tech titans including Meta and Google in a potential violation of federal law - data that in some cases was misused for targeted advertising, according to a seven-month congressional investigation.
The report highlights what legal experts described to CNN as a “five-alarm fire” for taxpayer privacy that could lead to government and private lawsuits, criminal penalties or perhaps even a “mortal blow” for some industry giants involved in the probe including TaxSlayer, H&R Block and TaxAct."
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If corporations are able to sue people, then people should be able to sue them for this
When a friend was dealing with terminal cancer he got ads for caskets.
Profit has no tact and knows no boundaries.
How embarrassing. Australia has had a free government tax office website for filing personal tax for years
If I'm not mistaken, Oz also has a concept of "leaving" where if you permanently move abroad, with no financial ties or property back home, you no longer have to file/pay taxes. Must be nice.
If there’s an initiative to simplify taxes, the tax preparation firms lobby against it. ‘Innovation’ in our economy seems often a matter of _creating_ the problem a new product would solve…
Senator Elizabeth Ann Warren is kicking asses, she also went after Banks (Bank Of America and others) for double dipping or double charging their customers for the same service and other fictitious charges . Bank of America have to pay back their customers for these acts.
Original American dream: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
New American dream: Greed, greed and more greed.
With crime-sprinkles on top
I used to do my own taxes. I was a blue collar guy so it wasn't difficult. You could pick up the forms at the local Post Office and it took about 10 minutes to do.
Now?
Now you cannot find the forms anywhere. I even went to the IRS office. No luck.
I have a feeling that the 'for profit' tax prep corporations had something to do with that.
Actually I'm positive that they did.
Take it up with your locality. Every tax-season I see them at the Post Office, the library, everywhere. Saying the IRS office didn't have them is hard to believe .. at all .. since they will literally print any form you need right there on the spot. Or were they entirely out of ink and paper every time you went there? I mean if you really had to, you could just go their site and they will mail you the forms you need, for free.
It's disgusting.
In Germany, I only have to do my own taxes when working as a freelancer. When working for an employer, everything is already taken care of, so I don't have to calculate or file anything.
Seems to me that Google in the others should be held criminally responsible for receiving stolen property
The IRS gets all the info they need, DIRECT from employers. For YEARS it would have been simple for the IRS to send out simple data summaries to every taxpayer. The recipient would then inspect it and, if they found nothing amiss, sign it and return it - or, really, do nothing and accept the refund (or pay any taxes).
If they want to have someone (bookkeeper, CPA, tax-prep person) crunch then numbers, they can still EASILY do that, then file the amended data by the means we ALREADY USE.
The tax system - TAXPAYER FUNDING, that is - would save literal billions of dollars, every year.
But tax-prep companies spend millions buying politicians and their votes.
The tax prep company turbo tax was sued bc they were offering bogus "free" tax filing" services that consumers could not use and were directed to "pay" services only!
This is mind-boggling! In my country (The Netherlands) our tax authority offers a free and easy to use electronic tax filing service for at least 30 years now, probably even longer back. Initially Windows and Mac programs you could install on your computer to print your returns pre-internet. Then later those programs could send the returns via the internet. Nowadays slick and well-designed web-apps. And, yes, taxes are withheld from our paychecks as Ana says, but in all countries tax filings remain necessary because pre-withholding is based on assumptions that need to be checked or corrected for in hindsight.
It is incredible how behind the US (richest country in the world) is lagging due to corporate greed. In areas like health care (in my country affordable to all, even free ambulances, no such thing as out of network costs, no bankruptcies, all but maybe the most exotic medicines/treatments covered, like even heart transplant including the hospital stay, revalidation, pacemaker for the new heart, lifelong anti-rejection medication and lifelong care - all at NO additional costs), democracy (every vote has direct influence, no districts, no electoral constituencies, no electoral college, no winner takes it all, no gerrymandering, just the candidate with the most individual votes wins), infrastructure (in pristine state, nation wide), social security (guaranteed, universal and affordable), almost negligible gun violence (including no mass shootings) which is fiercely combated nonetheless etc...
I know right. We have the same services here in Norway. Seems that everything is so much harder in the US, completely unnecessarily.
I bet you have better internet, too. Don't build a wall, I'm coming soon.
Yes, this is how it should be.
America treats its plebes as sheep to feed the wolves of Wall Street.
@@koolaidgadfly5132 ALL of Europe has better internet. Freaking Albania and Bulgaria and Romania have better and cheaper internet and cell service. As in twice the speed at 1/4 the price.
I was a professional computer programmer and got into several "I spent an hour and this thing you said was free is how much?" holes and nearly through my computer across the room.
It seems like every commercial site is selling your data.
My income is so low I don't have to file, but I used to anyway when I could get the forms at the local library. I've gone on the sites to see about filing online since the forms aren't as easy to find now, but after looking at the terms and conditions, I end up calling the IRS and getting the forms sent to me... of course that has gotten a lot harder too in recent years.
You can actually find the forms you need on line and download them and print them yourself.
@@writerconsidered I didn't have a working printer when I was doing this before. I do now. But I still like to use the written instruction book when I can get one. I find it hard to read too much online and I like to make notes in the booklets.
So, free things aren't free, and anywhere on the internet you input your data will get sold to the highest bidder, and we're all just dumb human "widgets" to be marketed to, with our data bought and sold to the highest bidder, and we don't matter in the slightest unless our money can be taken advantage of. Gotcha.
This has gone too far for far too long. I value my privacy unlike many. Im sick as sht of this data brokering. The government buys data too.
registering to vote puts all of our data at risk too. Mainly so candidates can flood our mailboxes with hateful ads.
Not surprised. Can anything really surprise us these days?
Almost like essential government services should NOT be performed by private companies.🤔
Since private companies often cut corners with customer data and safety, and
Private companies have profit incentives, which often conflict with the needs of citizens and the nation...
they are less safe for citizens to use.
Perhaps the Government should be involved in all major markets and provide goods/services that are optimized for reliability, safety, and longevity.
Make the Free Market bastards compete with that. People will want something flashy, or fast, or glamorous sometimes but they should at LEAST have the option of a reliable, safe, and durable product.
As has been proposed before, the IRS already collects most of the data necessary to compute anyone's tax bill (with the possible exception of shell corporations and very wealthy people.) They could do this automatically and take the burden off citizens, as some other countries do. But as Ana notes, the tax preparers push back hard against this.
We need to hold them accountable
If its free you are no longer the customer you are the product.
Love it NZ. Have not had to file Tax returns for 20 years. If you are due refund it comes automatically..H & R Block and sililarcompanies no longer exist here
Must be nice. Do they just send a report to you stating the taxes you paid?
@@48mastadon In May you log on to the IRD website. You need to be aware that the average tax payer does not usually have deductions. The government lowered the general tax rate to off set deductions. We also have interest free Student Loans, with repayments being taken directly from your income once it over $35k
@@keithheathcote8284
It's amazing how many things other countries do so much better than America.
The really crazy thing of it is, we don't actually need to fill out the forms. The IRS already has the info. So the IRS could send us all a statement about money we owe or will get back. Keeping us from becoming criminals if we fail to fill out a form correctly or use the correct form. Why don't we do this like other countries? Well Tax preparers spend a lot of money on lobbyist to fight this kind of change. Which has been floated in congress a number of times, but got voted down by those who were paid off.
i have been paying taxes for 35 years and cant get my teeth cleaned here in America or simple dental work or a health evaluation...since i dont have health insurance... how is it as a person who has paid taxes for over 35 years cant get the basic medical attention but we can fund another countries war which we have nothing to do with, we send them HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OR EQUIPMENT...AND AS A TAX PAYER I CANT GET SIMPLE DENTAL WORK DONE!!! OR EVEN HAVE MY BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKED WITHOUT PAYING FOR IT... IT IS APPALLING!!!
TYT reported years ago that a Dem and Repub took 15,000 each and they prevented the IRS from sending out prefilled tax forms to sign and send back. 60% of Americans would have been able to use that.
class action lawsuit!! I need my check for $4.75 to make up for 20yrs of data robbed, and ' free filing ' fees stolen.
I mean this is capitalism at its best. Monetize everything you can drain every penny from your product.
Whatever happened to invasion of privacy? This kind of information isn't supposed to be sold or given to third parties!
USA has been corrupted by corporatism. Blame the propaganda media imho.
I had to pay for my tax prep this year to TurboTax as it was not free (nor cheap), just because I had to file 1099's. What a total rip.
The IRS should either set up a free site to do our taxes or just do them for us. Most people do not need to do their taxes as they are paid wages and therefore the IRS already knows what thyey should have paid, or get money back.
Is the tax overcharge refundable?
I would use an IRS website.
The pre-tax system would be the most viable solution.
The problem with that is getting it past the cronies of corporate greed.
The politicians who are in the system to protect the tax breaks and kickback loopholes for the wealthy.
It will be a hard row to hoe.
But with the proper politicians elected, it can be accomplished.
The GOP can not be allowed to remain in office for this to have a chance at becoming reality.
If you are not paying for the product you receive, you are the product being sold.
I don't care. What I want is for the IRS to have a direct, free filing process.
They tried, but the tax filing software companies made it too difficult to find and use.
@cfltheman no, the compromise was for the tax prep companies to be required to offer a free service. And then, as you describe, they hid and made difficult to use.
I want the IRS itself to have a free electronic process that they offer. There is a difference.
Taxes should be free to file instead of charging me to take my money!
It is free
Just send us a bill. They decide how much we owe, why the charade?
"H&R Block takes protecting out clients privacy very seriously, and we have taken steps to prevent the sharing of information via pixels" -- just so we understand legal speak, they're not saying they will stop sharing information, they're only saying they wont use 'Pixels' to do so! My guess is Pixels will be renamed shortly or that an equivalent will be developed in time for the next tax season! The name Pixels should be capitalized as it is a thing...
Under the privacy act. Prohibit the disclosure of records or any means of communication written or oral, electrical,mechanical without the consent of the person.
Yes, yes, yes they should be criminally charged!!!
The federal/state government require me to file taxes under penalty of law. Therefore, they should either do it for me or provide the simple software in order to do it. I should not have to pay a private company.
Too Late.... This world, in the age of technology, should be PROactive, and not REactive, when it comes to PROtecting confidentiality.
You can't "catch" people "lying" on their tax forms if you don't make it complicated and inconvenient.
Selling Data unauthorized by that person should be illegal. Or atleast pay me. If you wanna know why I have so much debt let's make a deal
I stated filing in 2010 and have used hr block or turbo tax every single time
H&R Block are crooks. Pay extra for "peace of mind" assistance and they ignore you when you need it 100%. They screwed up my taxes and got me in trouble then ignored me, didn't respond.
Wow making the job of a kidnapper more convenient no more guessing about how much your victim is worth thank you state legislators for making America more dangerous 😈
The US government has no business colluding with corporations in this way.
W2 workers should not have to file at all. It is bullshit they know what we owe but do not tell us. It should be easy. End all deductions and lower rates.
That's why you need to deal with people who actually CARE and PROTECT your data, not lie to your face about it.
Unfortunately, greed above all else is this countries mantra now. Most companies lie to you or bury it in dozens of pages of fine print.
Why would our personal information be shared with fakebook and Google. What happened to privacy act? Isn't it illegal to send people's personal information to anyone. If so doesn't this make ot possible to sue fakebook and Google?
Makes me suspicious of these accounting apps as well. Quickbooks and others. This is why my accounting has always been done on a computer that is never on the internet. NEVER. I keep getting pushed to use their online services, but I feel like my data is NOT safe at all.
Well, as a QBO professional, your gonna HAVE to transition to QBO because they’re phasing out the desktop versions and your software will be bricked basically.
@@tioswift3676 - no it won't. I haven't updated my OS nor will I ever. I keep it backed up on an external, OS included.
I make much less that 73,000 and TurboTax always comes up with some bs reason why I have to us their pay service.
Please Ana, don't hold your breath awaiting justice - we all like you too much!
OMG! Of course they lobbied hard to prevent the IRS form setting up a free tax prep service! rats! 🙄 I've used Tax Slayer in the past...😐
Senator Warren is great. She gets the hard, useful work done. This is HUGE and *IS* criminal - enforcement now.
TYT is great too... OF COURSE!
Amazing how Anna spoke for almost 14min straight
Tax prep itself is completely unnecessary - the government could just collect payroll taxes directly if they wanted. You already pre-pay your taxes.
I’ve gotten my taxes done for free at my local library for 10 years now.
ADP has the most individual financial data on people workwide which they dont sell and are among the best in keeping our data secured. Need more companies with the creed of ADP.
Was this information in part the information collected Illegally from Cambridge Analytica back 2015 and 2016? Asking for a friend.
Of course!!!!!!!!
I don't know why morons use H&R BLOCK, TURBO and a few others anyway. Easy access ? And because they say them advertised on T.V. ??? SMH. I shouldn't call them morons. Some people are really naive. In some of your local areas, you can get the service of getting your taxes done free. Not online, but IN PERSON. Its more of a controlled environment.
I don't understand why certain information is considered sensitive. Passwords and such, sure. But names and buying habits?
Every time I see a tampon ad I think: Aren't you spying on me? How'd you get the impression I want to see this?
Just do it on paper. E-filing is a scam.
EULA and software usage agreements still don't protect users from this predatory tactic. Obfuscated and anonymized data can still be reversed to varying degrees
I don't often pray, but holy shit, I'm praying for Warren right now.
Of course they do smh
"of course!" lol, agree 100%
NOT REALLY SHOCKED OR SURPRISED. THERE'S THE GOVERNMENT AND THE WEALTHY & THERE'S US,
when are the class action suits?
We do every year. Yikes
H&R Block are hoods. Pay extra for "peace of mind" assistance and they ignore you when you need it 100%.
Ana, you're the Best at what you do. Criminals Criminals everywhere, like inverted turtles!! Hard Criminals with a Soft Shell!!
Wow 😯 they a lawsuit coming and this time is gonna be big!!!
I printed my 1040 and mailed in my tax return. The only way I will file anymore. cost of a stamp.
We are being sold out
If constant monitoring and punishment is to hard make a simple 3 strike rule. Companies that break major laws like this once caught 3 times the company and the owners and ceos are black listed permenantly from doing businesses in the usa marketplace
...and who would enforce that? Those companies already bribe the politicians.
Knowledge ñ Priceless treasure.
The IRS doesn’t need to implement every single form at the same time. They should start with the 1040EZ. Once that’s running smoothly, then move to the 1040A and its forms
No. The reason why the tax code in the US is extremely convoluted is because the tax preparers are faaar more intelligent than the politicians and IRS agents that write the rules. So, the government has to play catch up with the shenanigans that some of the tax return preparers and lawyers engage in.
In AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺 We have A FREE ONLINE TAX PREP option via the Government Tax Office
Wicked🤨
I think you meant, NOT hold your breath…
I always use IRS Free Fillable Forms. It works fine & is officially from the IRS. Maybe a little more intense than using Turbo Tax, for example, but it does some of the math for you and provided you all the instructions for each form.
Salt's drawn.
Thank you representive warren!!!!!!
Ever read their disclosures? Real reporters would do that.
After the recent blowups about TYT, I want to say that it is good to see Ana kicking ass on actual news that actually directly affects so many Americans. This is the TYT I've enjoyed for years.
By using an online service, did you not think they would sell your data?
Free/cheap tax services are not worth their value. Most people are missing out on things because they don't want to pay an actual CPA.
Pay the PERSONS/CUSTOMERS - Google Meta Facebook & Corporations gathering selling and buying your data should have to PAY 💰 YOU $1-5 Per corporation receiving your individual information!!!
How about it?
You get paid by the GATHERER of YOUR information and by the USER of Your information!!!!
There's nothing wrong with the old United States postal service .
Simple solution. If you don't want your data monetized, you just pay more money for tax prep services. You also see less relevant ads.
@@Panncakes444 That's a government agency. If you take away ad revenue from companies, the prices they charge consumers will go up.
So glad Im done with all that tax paying IRS crap. Retirement is the best!
U.S. corporations are persons under the law. Just like persons, corporations are above the law, and actual individual persons who violate U.S. laws are never criminally punished for their misdeeds. America rules!!!
my bank has my Social Security number, address and DOB. Great. Maybe they can file for some credit for me.
When advertising on FBook they want advertisers to install Pixel on their site.
Its not free even if you make under this amount if you need a special schedule for income, decided by them.
Doesn’t the irs have a free tax prep website? They used to
I heard that they're supposed to be starting that up again this year I think, but I'm not for certain if that's the case.
Yes for extremely basic taxes. Anything more that you’re up the creek
Yes. They have Free Fillable Forms.
It's maybe a bit harder for people to understand than Turbo Tax (sometimes you have to read the form instructions), but it works for filing federal returns - easy ones and complicated ones.
The downside is that people who live in states with a state income tax won't be able to use the IRS's Free Fillable Forms for that.
I'm in Washington tho. No state income tax. Free Fillable Forms has worked great for me.
Yah, I bet they are scared. Any time Lizabeth Warren "cracked down" on anything, nothing happened. She just makes a little show of it for a few hours and then everyone forgets it happened.
The bureaucratic processes of the U.S. government should have been revamped a long time ago. The tangled web just gets bigger the longer we wait.
Why are there so many Taxpayers? Do they all live in DC??
Intuit and HR Block (the big players) have been doing this since the late 90’s when the e-return process was ramping up.
So they offer these 'free' tax filing softwares, and then just tax you for it and make millions of dollars by selling all your info. Genius. I should of thought of that. Oh, wait, I don't have a multimillion dollar company.
Amazon: Been there, done that!