Yikes! (I am saying that far too often these days!)
US News is reporting some pretty scary stuff about IRS High Tech Tools To Track Your Digital Footprints
The Internal Revenue Service is collecting a lot more than taxes this year–it’s also acquiring a
huge volume of personal information on taxpayers’ digital activities, from eBay auctions to Facebook posts and, for the first time ever, credit card and e-payment transaction records, as it expands its search for tax cheats to places it’s never gone before.
IRS is no longer content to just have income, financial and banking information:
The IRS has brought in private industry experts to employ similar digital tracking–but with the added advantage of access to Social Security numbers, health records, credit card transactions and many other privileged forms of information that marketers don’t see.
Of course, they’re not shy to talk about it. In fact, they are bragging:
“Private industry would be envious if they knew what our models are,” boasted Dean Silverman, the agency’s high-tech top gun who heads a group recruited from the private sector to update the IRS.
The article does not say if their spy mission is restricted to US. Based on what we know, we have every reason to believe it is spreading around the world.
What the heck are they going to do with FATCA information?!? Canada and other governments, Don’t Let US FATCA You!