We know you would probably prefer not to think about tax returns until next April approaches. But what if we told you that information in returns you already filed may have been given to Meta, Facebook’s parent company, by the firm you trusted to safeguard your private information?
Apparently that’s exactly what happened, according to a new federal government report.
That report accuses three of the largest tax preparers – H&R Block, TaxAct and TaxSlayer, with sending “extraordinarily sensitive” information on tens of millions of taxpayers to Facebook parent company Meta over the course of at least two years. These actions are described as “a shocking breach of taxpayer privacy by tax prep companies and by Big Tech firms.”
A breach? Certainly. Shocking? Sadly, that no longer seems the case.
Your private information is up for grabs. It can be shared or sold by a huge company like H&R Block, or the place you ordered pizza from last Friday night, all without your knowledge or consent. They don’t care what happens next. That’s concerning for everyone, but for judges and police officers and those in other sensitive professions, it could be life-threatening.
Protect Yourself. Now.
You have insurance on your home and your health in case the worst happens. Isn’t your personal privacy and security just as important?
IronWall360 provides an insurance policy against your private content being exposed online. Where it is available now, we will make sure it is removed. And then we’ll monitor all aspects of the internet every day to look for places where it could pop up again.
What will happen in this particular case? Who knows? Already the companies cited are talking about how they take this matter very seriously…yada yada etc. The IRS, Department of Justice and other federal agencies have opted instead for “no comment.” The most likely outcome – H&R Block and the others will pay a fine, Meta will pay a fine, and that will be the end of it. Until the next time a company is caught sharing your home address, income information and other data.
If you don’t take action to protect yourself and your family, no one else will. We’re here to help.
