IRS Will Soon Require Selfies for Online Access

[Dashinka 24,512]

15 hours ago, jim_julian said:

This ID.me controversy has been WAAAY overblown by the media.  The Veterans Administration uses ID.me as a verification method for you to access your confidential medical information on the secure VA portal.   I use ID.me in this way several times a week.  It works flawlessly.  Someone above mentioned the California EDD.  The EDD program did not use ID.me and lost at least $20B of our taxpayer money to people, many foreign, filing fraudulent unemployment claims. (Google it)  Had EDD used ID.me the fraud would have been greatly reduced.  The use of ID.me with respect to the IRS, I believe, only will apply to dealing with the IRS online and, as I understand it, you will also be able to accomplish most things manually by snail mail, telephone, visiting an IRS office, etc.  This ID.me flap is much ado about nothing.  

Michigan uses ID.me for unemployment and there was something like $8.5 billion of pandemic related fraud.  It is interesting as well as ID.me's website says they do indeed service CA's EDD.

 

https://help.id.me/hc/en-us/articles/4416268603415-California-EDD-ID-me

[MrKo 60]

1 hour ago, jim_julian said:

ME domain is the country code top level domain (ccTLD) for Montenegro, globally available for registration without any restrictions. This means that anybody can register a .ME domain with their favorite registrar. Despite being a ccTLD, .ME is very similar to generic TLDs in terms of policies, domain cycle and SEO benefits, and most importantly, Google treats it like any other generic TLD.  The ME domain does NOT mean that the user has any substantive connection with Montenegro.  You are NOT sending your info to Montenegro.  ID.me headquarters: 8281 Greensboro Dr. Suite 600 Washington, DC 22102 United States of America

Well, just because anyone can register a .me domain name doesn't mean it's safe to have millions of users route through it to submit private and sensitive data. And just because it's "similar to generic TLDs" does not mean they are 100% the same, regardless of how Google treats it. Is there any source proving that the .ME domain extension is not under the jurisdiction of the Montenergro government and is 100% under the power of the US? If so, please share. And if not, I don't know why it's not a concern.

Edited January 24, 2022 by MrKo

[jim_julian 26]

18 minutes ago, MrKo said:

Well, just because anyone can register a .me domain name doesn't mean it's safe to have millions of users route through it to submit private and sensitive data. And just because it's "similar to generic TLDs" does not mean they are 100% the same, regardless of how Google treats it. Is there any source proving that the .ME domain extension is not under the jurisdiction of the Montenergro government and is 100% under the power of the US? If so, please share. And if not, I don't know why it's not a concern.

Good grief ... Google it. "Under the power of the US"??  I have no idea what you mean.  Basically only .gov URLs are fully controlled by the USG.  ID.me has been vetted by the USG.  It is a US company.  It is safe and efficient.

[Allaboutwaiting 2,503]

1 hour ago, MrKo said:

Well, just because anyone can register a .me domain name doesn't mean it's safe to have millions of users route through it to submit private and sensitive data. And just because it's "similar to generic TLDs" does not mean they are 100% the same, regardless of how Google treats it. Is there any source proving that the .ME domain extension is not under the jurisdiction of the Montenergro government and is 100% under the power of the US? If so, please share. And if not, I don't know why it's not a concern.

 

58 minutes ago, jim_julian said:

Good grief ... Google it. "Under the power of the US"??  I have no idea what you mean.  Basically only .gov URLs are fully controlled by the USG.  ID.me has been vetted by the USG.  It is a US company.  It is safe and efficient.

.me domain is under full control of domain.me, a company registered and based in Montenegro, founded by three companies:

-ME-net, a Montenegrin company with a long history in the ICT sector in Montenegro, which includes successful privatization of the country’s largest ISP;

-GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain name registrar and the largest paid Web host provider in North America; and

-Afilias, a leading registry services provider that supports more than 13 million domains worldwide.

 

From their website:

"What is a .ME domain?

.ME domain is the country code top level domain (ccTLD) for Montenegro, globally available for registration without any restrictions. This means that anybody can register a .ME domain with their favorite registrar. Despite being a ccTLD, .ME is very similar to generic TLDs in terms of policies, domain cycle and SEO benefits, and most importantly, Google treats it like any other generic TLD. 

We decided to open the domain for the general public because the word “ME” carries meaning in many languages including English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Portuguese, and many other languages and we knew it would be popular.

Anyone can register a .ME domain. No restrictions apply!"

 

So, ID me just decided it sounded "cool" and bought the domain from a company profiting on the potential of this specific ccTLD.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Allaboutwaiting

[LIBrty4all 3,749]

15 hours ago, millefleur said:

I'll ask my CPA, I'm curious. Still waiting for all my tax forms to arrive via snail mail first.

Snail mail?  Everything is online nowadays for me. Got my first 1099 around 23 December.  Talk about on top of things!

[LIBrty4all 3,749]

18 hours ago, jim_julian said:

This ID.me controversy has been WAAAY overblown by the media.  The Veterans Administration uses ID.me as a verification method for you to access your confidential medical information on the secure VA portal.   I use ID.me in this way several times a week.  It works flawlessly.  Someone above mentioned the California EDD.  The EDD program did not use ID.me and lost at least $20B of our taxpayer money to people, many foreign, filing fraudulent unemployment claims. (Google it)  Had EDD used ID.me the fraud would have been greatly reduced.  The use of ID.me with respect to the IRS, I believe, only will apply to dealing with the IRS online and, as I understand it, you will also be able to accomplish most things manually by snail mail, telephone, visiting an IRS office, etc.  This ID.me flap is much ado about nothing.  

When it comes to using ID.me to help vets achieve a Home Depot or Lowe's discount, great.

When it comes to handing over a SSN, driver's license, and self-portrait (that can be used to print a 3D mask), phone #, address, etc. to a complete stranger over the internet... maybe YOU have enough trust in them.  I do not.  I already get my credit card info stolen often enough when I'm NOT giving it out freely.

[millefleur 5,046]

10 minutes ago, LIBrty4all said:

Snail mail?  Everything is online nowadays for me. Got my first 1099 around 23 December.  Talk about on top of things!

ID theft victims receive a special PIN number every year that the IRS sends out via snail mail. There's no other way to get this letter that I'm aware of.

[LIBrty4all 3,749]

3 minutes ago, millefleur said:

ID theft victims receive a special PIN number every year that the IRS sends out via snail mail. There's no other way to get this letter that I'm aware of.

Yeah, that I understand.  But you said tax forms.  Thought you were referring to W2/1099/INT, etc. kind of stuff.

[yuna628 9,676]

1 hour ago, jim_julian said:

Good grief ... Google it. "Under the power of the US"??  I have no idea what you mean.  Basically only .gov URLs are fully controlled by the USG.  ID.me has been vetted by the USG.  It is a US company.  It is safe and efficient.

I have seen no evidence thus far based on the numerous articles, investigative reports, complaints, and in depth blogs on the subject (some of which I've already linked to) that there is anything that proves it's safeness or efficiency. 

[millefleur 5,046]

28 minutes ago, Allaboutwaiting said:

So, ID me just decided it sounded "cool" and bought the domain from a company profiting on the potential of this specific ccTLD.

I always wondered about that with weird domain names. Even .su still exists which stands for "Soviet Union" - I kid you not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.su

 

I don't get why having a "cool" domain somehow trumps security/trustworthiness? Tech companies here seem so obsessed with appearance and how they are perceived, as well as their "brand image." And we've seen the US government make bumbling errors before with cybersecurity related issues. This is not really an area that the US government can be the ultimate expert in, as a lot of the best cybersecurity specialists are independent "grey hat" hackers who operate outside government entities.

 

Israel is probably the only government can think of that has true cybersecurity expertise and I wonder what kind of system they use for their tax documents and ID stuff...interestingly, despite being one of the most high tech countries in the world, they still vote with paper ballots. Just some food for thought there.

[Allaboutwaiting 2,503]

24 minutes ago, millefleur said:

I always wondered about that with weird domain names. Even .su still exists which stands for "Soviet Union" - I kid you not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.su

 

I don't get why having a "cool" domain somehow trumps security/trustworthiness? Tech companies here seem so obsessed with appearance and how they are perceived, as well as their "brand image." And we've seen the US government make bumbling errors before with cybersecurity related issues. This is not really an area that the US government can be the ultimate expert in, as a lot of the best cybersecurity specialists are independent "grey hat" hackers who operate outside government entities.

 

Israel is probably the only government can think of that has true cybersecurity expertise and I wonder what kind of system they use for their tax documents and ID stuff...interestingly, despite being one of the most high tech countries in the world, they still vote with paper ballots. Just some food for thought there.

Agreed, image is WAY more valued than efficiency or safety.

And I was also wondering how other countries deal with this. 

While searching on the companies that own domain.me I read about a controversy about GoDaddy in 2016: they refused to host websites from Ch ina as they required them to hand all their customers' personal information to the government, but they resumed service because money, obviously. 

 

Call me backwards -I rather call myself nostalgic- but I'm honestly not against a non digital approach to things, as it is easier to control in my view. People rely way too much on technology and it is backfiring.

[jim_julian 26]

1 hour ago, LIBrty4all said:

When it comes to using ID.me to help vets achieve a Home Depot or Lowe's discount, great.

When it comes to handing over a SSN, driver's license, and self-portrait (that can be used to print a 3D mask), phone #, address, etc. to a complete stranger over the internet... maybe YOU have enough trust in them.  I do not.  I already get my credit card info stolen often enough when I'm NOT giving it out freely.

ID.me is a trusted US government contractor based in the US.

[Allaboutwaiting 2,503]

Just now, jim_julian said:

ID.me is a trusted US government contractor based in the US.

Not sure how "trusted" and "US government contractor" paired together should make people feel at ease. 

[jim_julian 26]

1 hour ago, Allaboutwaiting said:

 

.me domain is under full control of domain.me, a company registered and based in Montenegro, founded by three companies:

-ME-net, a Montenegrin company with a long history in the ICT sector in Montenegro, which includes successful privatization of the country’s largest ISP;

-GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain name registrar and the largest paid Web host provider in North America; and

-Afilias, a leading registry services provider that supports more than 13 million domains worldwide.

 

From their website:

"What is a .ME domain?

.ME domain is the country code top level domain (ccTLD) for Montenegro, globally available for registration without any restrictions. This means that anybody can register a .ME domain with their favorite registrar. Despite being a ccTLD, .ME is very similar to generic TLDs in terms of policies, domain cycle and SEO benefits, and most importantly, Google treats it like any other generic TLD. 

We decided to open the domain for the general public because the word “ME” carries meaning in many languages including English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Portuguese, and many other languages and we knew it would be popular.

Anyone can register a .ME domain. No restrictions apply!"

 

So, ID me just decided it sounded "cool" and bought the domain from a company profiting on the potential of this specific ccTLD.

Sure, the rules for domain registration may be controlled by Montenegro BUT, the ID.me company is a US company headquartered in Washington, DC.  The government of Montenegro has NO ROLE in handling the data you submit to a USG fully vetted contractor. 

[jim_julian 26]

1 hour ago, yuna628 said:

I have seen no evidence thus far based on the numerous articles, investigative reports, complaints, and in depth blogs on the subject (some of which I've already linked to) that there is anything that proves it's safeness or efficiency. 

ID.me is a digital platform that helps people easily prove their identity so they can access online services and benefits online. This is to help make sure you’re you—and not someone pretending to be you.

ID.me provides the strongest identity verification system available to prevent fraud and identity theft. They use bank-grade encryption to keep your personal information safe. And you control which services and businesses you share your information with, always giving your explicit consent.

Hundreds of well-known private-sector companies (such as Linkedin, Ford, Apple, and USAA) and government agencies (such as the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and the California DMV) have also chosen ID.me to help keep their customers’ personal information safe.