Show threadfrater musFeb 25, 2024

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/ftc-sues-handr-block-over-deceptive-free-online-filing-ads/

Now do #taxslayer

1. lobby like crazy to make sure the IRS doesn't have a free filing tool, promising to give people free filing tools
2. make it as hard as possible to actually access the free filing tools

It's time to for the IRS to do "postcard" style returns. The existing setup is incredibly stupid.

FTC sues H&R Block over deceptive 'free' online filing ads

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued tax preparation giant H&R Block over the company's deceptive "free" online filing advertising and for pressuring people into overpaying for its services.

BleepingComputer
frater musFeb 21, 2024

" Don’t forget to tell your friends how easy it was to slay your taxes with #taxslayer"

What a fscking beatdown. Took about 1.5 hours of hoopjumping to actually get free filing.

Despite taxslayer's best efforts, I found https://freefile.taxslayer.com/ and played with it over and over until I got it to show American Pledge (the free version)..

Even then before filing it told me I owed them ~$23. Hit BACK and continued again and finally got a $0 return.

It's perhaps not an accident that https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile does not have a "Report Tax Preparer douchebaggery" button.

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Jul 29, 2023
How tech companies got access to our #tax data. #TaxAct, #TaxSlayer, and #HRblock. It found that the sites were sending data to #Meta through #MetaPixel, a commonly used piece of computer code often embedded in #websites to track users https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/07/17/1076365/how-tech-companies-access-tax-data/
How tech companies got access to our tax data

Here is what you need to know.

MIT Technology Review
Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Jul 13, 2023
#Tax prep companies (#TaxSlayer, #HRBlock and #TaxAct) shared private #taxpayer data with #Google and #Meta for years, congressional probe finds | CNN Business https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/12/tech/tax-prep-companies-taxpayer-data-google-meta #Taxes #USTaxes #USPol #ElizabethWarren #SenWarren
joe•iuculano Jul 12, 2023

A group o #Democratic senators wants #DOJ 2 investigate several #tax prep cos. after an investigation lawmakers launched concluded the companies shared reams o taxpayers’ personal & financial information w/ #Meta.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) & others accuse #HRblock, #TaxSlayer & #TaxAct of having embedded code in their Web sites known as “pixels” that allowed their users’ sensitive tax data 2 be shared w/ Meta & #Google.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/12/senate-dems-say-massive-taxpayer-privacy-breach-needs-doj-probe-00105853

Senate Dems say 'massive' taxpayer privacy breach needs DOJ probe

The lawmakers’ investigation piggybacks on a report published in November 2022 by the tech news outlet The Markup that first put a spotlight on the issue.

POLITICO
Coach Pāṇini ®Dec 31, 2022
There’s so many things someone could write an essay about on the linguistic and sociological frame of the neologism / brand #TaxSlayer.
MufasaDec 12, 2022

The biggest online e-filing services—namely H&R Block, TaxAct, and TaxSlayer—have been sharing sensitive user financial information with Meta, according to a new report.

#Taxes #Meta #HandRBlock #TaxAct #TaxSlayer #Privacy #InformationSharing
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/11/major-tax-filing-websites-secretly-share-income-data-with-meta/

Major tax-filing websites secretly share income data with Meta

Financial data was sent to Meta by TaxAct, H&R Block, and TaxSlayer.

Ars Technica
Mufasa Nov 28, 2022

The biggest online e-filing services—namely H&R Block, TaxAct, and TaxSlayer—have been sharing sensitive user financial information with Meta, according to a new report.

#Taxes #Meta #HandRBlock #TaxAct #TaxSlayer #Privacy #InformationSharing
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/11/major-tax-filing-websites-secretly-share-income-data-with-meta/

Major tax-filing websites secretly share income data with Meta

Financial data was sent to Meta by TaxAct, H&R Block, and TaxSlayer.

Ars Technica
Bob CarverNov 27, 2022
Here to add another layer of dread ahead of the upcoming tax season; information like income, refund amounts, filing status, and even the amount of dependents’ college scholarships. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/11/major-tax-filing-websites-secretly-share-income-data-with-meta/ #cybersecurity #privacy #TaxFiling #Meta #TaxAct #H&RBlock #TaxSlayer
Major tax-filing websites secretly share income data with Meta

Financial data was sent to Meta by TaxAct, H&R Block, and TaxSlayer.

Ars Technica
Show threadUmaiNov 26, 2022

Major #TaxFiling websites secretly share #income data with Meta

> #TheMarkup published the data sent to Meta by these companies, which it confirmed was sometimes generated and shared “regardless of whether the person using the tax filing service has an account on #Facebook ” or other #Meta service.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/11/major-tax-filing-websites-secretly-share-income-data-with-meta/

#HRBlock #TaxAct #TaxSlayer

Major tax-filing websites secretly share income data with Meta

Financial data was sent to Meta by TaxAct, H&R Block, and TaxSlayer.

Ars Technica