IRS Taxpayer Data Theft Seven Times Larger Than Originally Thought (cnn.com)

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IRS Taxpayer Data Theft Seven Times Larger Than Originally Thought (cnn.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Saturday February 27, 2016 @05:32AM from the identity-theft dept.

An anonymous reader writes: For the second time, the IRS has revised the estimated damage of a criminal syndicate's massive theft of American taxpayer data. In May 2015, the government agency said criminals used a tool on the IRS website to steal the tax forms of 104,000 people. Then in August, it revised that number up to 330,000. On Friday, the tax-collection agency revealed that number is now closer to 720,000. This is a result of a "Get Transcript" tool which was available on the IRS website up until the spring of last year. It was used to help taxpayers easily download years worth of tax forms in the event that they lost their old tax documents. Unfortunately, an unidentified cybermafia was able to dupe the "Get Transcript" tool and download millions of tax documents related to the 720,000 people whose tax forms had been stolen.

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Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 05:37 · Score: 1, Funny

Breaking news: the presidential conference is about to start, where Mr. President will announce how he read all about this in the papers; and how outraged he is; and how he'll get to the bottom of this...
in ...3 ...2 ...1
1. Re:Government knows best! by Kohath · 2016-02-27 05:45 · Score: 1, Troll
  
  Let's put them in charge of our health care.
2. Re:Government knows best! by mrsam · 2016-02-27 05:48 · Score: 2
  
  Last time I checked, we already did.
3. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 05:50 · Score: 0
  
  Let's put them in charge of our health care.
  That would be much better than putting for-profit corporations in charge of it.
4. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 05:52 · Score: 0
  
  This. The corporations want us to die quickly to reduce costs.
5. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 05:54 · Score: 0
  
  So does the government. Hence the death panels.
6. Re:Government knows best! by modmans2ndcoming · 2016-02-27 05:59 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Because private companies are so much better at keeping their data safe.
  http://www.zdnet.com/article/a...
7. Re: Government knows best! by fustakrakich · 2016-02-27 06:02 · Score: 1
  
  Dead people don't pay taxes, expect maybe when they sold off for parts. Hey, make sure those kidneys have a tax stamp on them.
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
8. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:04 · Score: 0
  
  But they want us to live in order to continue to pay premiums.
9. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:07 · Score: 0
  
  This. They are killing us with their corporations.
10. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:09 · Score: 0
  
  Their estate does. But usually that's only if the estate were $5.4 million or more. I don't get how there can be so many people worth $5.4 million cheering in the audience when candidates talk about eliminating it. I'd expect that means their income tax will increase to compensate for it.
11. Re:Government knows best! by Kohath · 2016-02-27 06:10 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Private company loses your data, you stop doing business with them. IRS loses your data, fuck you.
  Private company negligent with your data, private company gets sued and maybe criminally charged. IRS negligent with your data, fuck you. IRS workers keep their jobs, no one faces any consequences. Except you. Because fuck you.
12. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:10 · Score: 0
  
  If they were smarter they'd try to keep us alive longer this paying more premiums, but if they were smart, they wouldn't be Republicans in the first place.
13. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:14 · Score: 0
  
  And they refuse to pay for any care that actually replenishes our life force.
14. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:16 · Score: 0
  
  And want to increase our costs!
15. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:16 · Score: 0
  
  I was able to afford health insurance with those evil "private companies". $500/mo for my family of 7. Now it's well over $1,000. Fuck government insurance. Deregulate it all.
16. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:17 · Score: 0
  
  Or homeopathy. Republicans hate and fear things they don't understand.
17. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:19 · Score: 0
  
  This! If they were smart, they'd just not pay claims instead of denying care and killing us.
18. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:20 · Score: 0
  
  Republicans are truly the party of death.
19. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:27 · Score: 0
  
  This. They are killing us with their corporations.
  Saturday mornings on /. always brings out the liberals.
20. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:29 · Score: 1
  
  Are you serious? Since when have companies really been punished by more than token amounts?
  Have you heard about arbitration? Good luck trying to sue any company
  It's people like you who are ruining this country. You think you can't change the government? You have the right to vote, to speak you mind to your representative, and to even run for office. If you are wealthy enough you can even contribute to lobbyists to influence government. There are plenty of ways to influence the government, much less so with companies.
  Stop parroting right wing idiocy and open your mind. oh and fuck you.
21. Re:Government knows best! by Trepidity · 2016-02-27 06:31 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Yeah, like I can realistically stop doing business with my health-insurance company or the company that invests my pension fund.
  
  --
  10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
22. Re:Government knows best! by Kohath · 2016-02-27 06:38 · Score: 0
  
  Which one will put you in prison?
23. Re:Government knows best! by Ol+Olsoc · 2016-02-27 06:48 · Score: 0
  
  Let's put them in charge of our health care.
  While it is so popular to blame the government, And no doubt many will, there is a basis for this, and it isn't the government, it is us.
  All of our data is online, and most of it is protected exactly as well as all of the data breaches we hear about. Hospitals with no security, schools with no security. And while it specifically notes on ones Social security card that it isn't for identification, for years, we'd give out our socials exactly as ID, including for silly shit like Shopper's cards, and other semi pointless things. Where I worked, the SS number was used all over the place, such as when I applied for a health club access on campus.
  And all of the data security? Not hardly a little bit. So guess who has everyone's SS numbers now? You got it. Even now, there are daily breaches.
  This internt thing? Awesome in so many ways, and in a few, a real disaster is unfolding.
  
  --
  The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
24. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:52 · Score: 1
  
  Okay you just jumped the shark there. I know getting +5 on bashing the IRS has made you proud, but the IRS can't put anyone in prison when the IRS loses their data. The IRS is not even part of the judicial branch and who knows what insanity caused you to argue that the IRS is going to put data theft victims in prison.
25. Re: Government knows best! by Kohath · 2016-02-27 06:52 · Score: 1
  
  I don't get how there can be so many people worth $5.4 million cheering in the audience when candidates talk about eliminating it.
  Stealing is wrong. People are cheering for an end to stealing from widows and orphans.
  
  I'd expect that means their income tax will increase to compensate for it.
  No. Simply cut spending.
26. Re:Government knows best! by ShanghaiBill · 2016-02-27 06:54 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, like I can realistically stop doing business with my health-insurance company or the company that invests my pension fund.
  I have a choice of several health insurance companies. I have a choice of hundreds of investment companies.
  On the other hand, I also have a choice of countries to live in. I lived in China for a while, and really liked it there, but my wife (who is Chinese) prefers America, so here we are.
27. Re:Government knows best! by Ol+Olsoc · 2016-02-27 06:54 · Score: 0
  
  Private company loses your data, you stop doing business with them. IRS loses your data, fuck you.
  Private company negligent with your data, private company gets sued and maybe criminally charged. IRS negligent with your data, fuck you. IRS workers keep their jobs, no one faces any consequences. Except you. Because fuck you.
  Don't be a stupid anarchist. Once your data is stolen, it is out there forever. You figure the bad guys are going to say "Oh that company we stole data from went out of business bdecause of the invisible had of the free market, so we'll have to steal it all over again?" No, once they steal your SS number, and I know of a lot of non-governmental breaches - they have the keys to the Kingdom. provided by the lax network security, that most Private industry networks incorporate. Don't be so anti-government that you make all of your ilk look like they have IQ's of 10. Because you are sounding so incredibly stupid now, you make the government you hate so much look like a great alternative to anything you could come up with.
  
  --
  The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
28. Re:Government knows best! by Trepidity · 2016-02-27 06:55 · Score: 1
  
  I'm all for abolishing prisons too, but I don't see how that's very relevant to a discussion of data privacy. But hey, if an anti-prison candidate like Angela Davis runs for president, no objections from me.
  
  --
  10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
29. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:57 · Score: 0
  
  Neither of them.
30. Re:Government knows best! by Kohath · 2016-02-27 07:00 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  ... the IRS can't put anyone in prison when the IRS loses their data.
  If you decide to stop doing business with them because they're criminally irresponsible with your data, they send you to prison. That's the major difference between government and private interactions: private interactions are voluntary -- if you don't like a company or a person you don't have to do business with them. Government interactions are forced -- obey your government masters or go to prison.
31. Re:Government knows best! by Trepidity · 2016-02-27 07:06 · Score: 2
  
  In my case I don't really have a choice of either unless I quit my job, since my employer chooses them. The pension fund is particularly problematic because even if I quit my job, I couldn't move my investments to another manager for at least 5 years, when everything vests, so I'm stuck with this one for a while (and they aren't good at data protection). So yes, there is a sequence of choices that could lead to avoiding them, but they're a lot of choices awkwardly tied together with cross-linked contracts and various constraints. Which is also a little bit like how government works: I can avoid governments by not living in their jurisdiction, but there are a lot of cross-linked complications. With both, the difficulty gets higher as the entity gets bigger, with small businesses and municipal governments the easiest to say no to.
  
  --
  10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
32. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 07:07 · Score: 0
  
  LOL ok then, let's see you stop doing your taxes and see how long you last for...
33. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 07:12 · Score: 0
  
  Stealing from children and orphans? Surely you joke. Firstly, the estate tax only applies to amounts greater than $5million -- this means their first $5m is tax free just like everybody else -- the widows and orphans will obviously be fine.
  Secondly, how is this theft? Vast majority of that money has never been taxed -- Warren Bufet's networth goes up $10 billion in a year, and it is all tax free because hardly any of that increase is consider taxable income. It is all capital gains, and since the old codger never sells, none of his gains have ever been taxed.
34. Re:Government knows best! by Kohath · 2016-02-27 07:17 · Score: 1
  
  In my case I don't really have a choice of either unless I quit my job, since my employer chooses them.
  If your company's health insurance provider loses everyone's data, it loses the company executives' data too. They can decide to choose a more responsible provider. You could also opt out and find a more responsible provider if your company's provider is bad. Everyone involved has choices and at least some financial interest in choosing responsibly.
35. Re: Government knows best! by Kohath · 2016-02-27 07:32 · Score: 1
  
  Stealing is wrong regardless of whether the victims have money left over after you steal some.
  
  Secondly, how is this theft?
  Taking from people by force, against their will, is stealing.
  Taxing only starts to become justifiable for public services. An example is taxing property to pay for a fire department to protect property from fires. The people who pay for it benefit from it. If it didn't exist, they might voluntarily decide to establish it and pay the tax so they can get the benefits.
  Taxing one person to get money for freebies and giveaways to another person is stealing. The person who pays does not benefit.
36. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 07:47 · Score: 1
  
  Everyone involved has choices and at least some financial interest in choosing responsibly.
  Nope, some people have interest in choosing the measure that will cost less.
  After all, if it doesn't break until after you've cashed out, what do you care?
37. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 07:48 · Score: 1
  
  Not theft, we have an actual word for it: tax. If you equate it to stealing and say we should abolish it (after all, that would be the logical step seeing as theft is wrong and should be avoided), how do you suppose the state pays for its expenses? Donations?
  How would your state work with no taxes? No roads? No police? No firefighters? No military? No sewage? I'm honestly curious to know what your opinion is. I don't like taxes either, but understand why they are there and what they're used for. I understand the alternative (no taxes) is actually more expensive once you realize a large player, like a nation, has way better bargaining power than an individual.
38. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 07:52 · Score: 1
  
  Buy an ETF directly with your pension money, likely to be better in the long run than using an investment fund. You physically own the shares so in principle you can put them in a bank safe and not need any 'investment firm'
39. Re:Government knows best! by gtall · 2016-02-27 08:12 · Score: 1
  
  Two different agencies, and the ACA plans are run by the insurance companies, the ones who are have been fucking us all along. Only Bernie is stupid enough to think the Feds could take over health insurance under a single payer. Personally, I don't think he gives a flying rat's ass about universal health care, he just doesn't like rich people and intends to use it as bludgeon to take their money. However, rich people have accountants and lawyers and tax shelters, and they don't have to continue living in the U.S., Switzerland is happy to take them and their money.
  These IRA problems are mainly is the result of inadequate funding over the recent years by the Republicans who figure money not spent is money saved. The IRS screwed themselves years back with an upgrade that cost billions but never made it into production.
40. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 08:28 · Score: 0
  
  You have the right to vote, to speak you mind to your representative, and to even run for office.
  How wonderfully naive of you. Do you still believe in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus too?
  
  If you are wealthy enough you can even contribute to lobbyists to influence government.
  Keep your chicken scratch for yourself, you're going to need it. Whatever you have it's not nearly enough. You're out of your depth.
  
  There are plenty of ways to influence the government, much less so with companies.
  You've got that backwards. Companies respond to people ignoring them and not buying their products by trying to understand why and fix the problem so that consumers start buying again. The government just keeps taking your money anyway and puts you on their shit list for your trouble.
  
  Stop parroting right wing idiocy and open your mind. oh and fuck you.
  You're the fool. What do you think the newly empowered government is going to do to your sorry liberal ass? It's troublemakers and boat rockers like you who attract their attention. Ever wonder why your paperwork keeps getting lost, the IRS is after you for penalties and interest, your credit sucks and the police have got your number? Maybe protesting and making an ass of yourself in public isn't the best life strategy after all, eh?
41. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 08:30 · Score: 0
  
  Government interactions are forced -- obey your government masters or go to prison.
  Yes, that's correct. More or less. You've seen that episode of the Simpsons, haven't you?
  Or did you forget who the boss of the government was?
  See, that's the thing you don't get about government. They are accountable to to the people, up to and including the point of armed revolution.
  It's like you've never heard of the Second Amendment, let alone the First.
42. Re:Government knows best! by sjames · 2016-02-27 09:15 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, lets. They are far less likely to fail at taxing someone than corporate health care is to let someone remain untreated.
43. Re: Government knows best! by sjames · 2016-02-27 09:17 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  "Death panels"? You mean like when private insurance finds any dirty trick it can to not pay for life saving treatment?
44. Re:Government knows best! by arobatino · 2016-02-27 10:36 · Score: 1
  
  They are accountable to to the people
  In other words, you can just walk away from a company, but with the government you need to get the majority's permission.
45. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 10:36 · Score: 0
  
  Stealing is wrong regardless of whether the victims have money left over after you steal some.
  But you'll find that there are gradations to wrong, this is why it's wronger to take all of what somebody has, than to take a small portion.
  This is also balanced against what you need, so you can't take someone's life unless your own is in danger.
  
  Taking from people by force, against their will, is stealing.
  Nope. Taking from people by force is robbery. This is stealing:
  "take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it."
  But the thing is, government does have the legal right, subject to the restrictions of the law. If you don't like the current restrictions, do tell us what's wrong and we'll see if we agree to a change.
  
  Taxing only starts to become justifiable for public services. An example is taxing property to pay for a fire department to protect property from fires. The people who pay for it benefit from it. If it didn't exist, they might voluntarily decide to establish it and pay the tax so they can get the benefits.
  Taxing one person to get money for freebies and giveaways to another person is stealing. The person who pays does not benefit.
  I guess you're not familiar with government spending, are you? It is required to show the public benefit, not the private and sole enrichment. This can seem tricky, like when a person is paid to pave a road, but you can hardly expect somebody to do it for free, right?
  Seriously, it's like you don't understand the point of welfare at all. Or what the costs may be when you don't benefit from them, as they are so invisible you take them for granted. You don't realize what would happen if people were thrown out on the streets, or if they had no education, or no food.
  You could pay to deal with it in some other way, but that may be more costly than you realize.
46. Re: Government knows best! by Frank+Burly · 2016-02-27 10:40 · Score: 2
  
  Wrongfully taking from people, by force, against their will is stealing. Estates are legal fictions, and the state, as author, has every right to describe the rights and obligations of it creation.
  Beyond that though, taxes are not inherently wrongful. Taxes (as the man said) are the price we pay for civilization. The overwhelming majority of people benefit from fewer fires and less disease, regardless of whether or not they have the foresight to voluntarily pay for a fire department or subsidized hospital. What's more, if they are engaged in any sort of commerce, they benefit from the security, and stability, and technology that civilization makes generally available.
  For almost everyone, civilization gives more than it takes, so it is strange when people characterize taxes as wrong or immoral (stupid or too high is another matter).
47. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 11:28 · Score: 1
  
  Don't be a stupid anarchist. [snip pointless rambling about obvious stuff everybody knows] Don't be so anti-government that you make all of your ilk look like they have IQ's of 10. Because you are sounding so incredibly stupid now, you make the government you hate so much look like a great alternative to anything you could come up with.
  Actually, GP just made a point, which you ignored and decided instead to be insulting. Presumably because you don't have a reasonable counterpoint. So... you're kinda the one that doesn't look very smart.
48. Re: Government knows best! by Kohath · 2016-02-27 11:29 · Score: 1
  
  Stealing is wrong regardless of whether the victims have money left over after you steal some.
  But you'll find that there are gradations to wrong, this is why it's wronger to take all of what somebody has, than to take a small portion.
  It's wrong because of the motive: people want free stuff. People want to spend money they didn't earn, on things they don't truly need, and instead of working for it and earning the money themselves, they want to use their neighbors' money. They elect politicians with messages of hate, appealing to their envy and greed, in order to steal that money to spend on giveaways and free stuff for them.
  If it's not stealing, why do politicians sound like it is? Which politician ever said that they want someone to pay more tax to make the payer's life better? When politicians want votes, it's always they who will pay and we who will benefit. That's the language of stealing.
49. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 11:51 · Score: 0
  
  In other words, you can just walk away from a company, but with the government you need to get the majority's permission.
  You'll find that's the way many companies work that way too.
  Especially if you want to keep anything.
  Of course, they have no problem abandoning you, without even blinking.
  Your country won't do the same thing.
50. Re:Government knows best! by Ol+Olsoc · 2016-02-27 11:59 · Score: 0
  
  Actually, GP just made a point, which you ignored and decided instead to be insulting. Presumably because you don't have a reasonable counterpoint. So... you're kinda the one that doesn't look very smart.
  The problem is, that the invisible hand of th free market will not do one goddamned thing. Not one little bitty thing about a free market company losing the data. Your data is lost, not doing any more business with them won't make one little bit of difference. It's got, the bad guys have it, now they use it.
  And since these data breaches were not committed by the government, it's doubly stupid to blame the government.
  Insulting? I have no patience for willful stupidity, for those who trot out stock bugaboos for every single problem, then strut about like little cock-a-whoops, basking in the glow of the bernevolent smiles and stupid grins of those who actually are impressed by having one answer for every problem. so you're damned right I wanted to be insulting.
  
  --
  The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
51. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 12:44 · Score: 0
  
  It's wrong because of the motive: people want free stuff.
  
  Oh wait, now you're going from taxation is wrong, to wanting free stuff is wrong?
  But taxation is the opposite of free! It's paying for stuff.
  
  People want to spend money they didn't earn, on things they don't truly need, and instead of working for it and earning the money themselves, they want to use their neighbors' money.
  
  Some do, that's why we have a system of law to stop them.
  And sadly, that system does have to use force at times. Which leads to a whole other course of necessities to that system. Including the right to try to change it, or even at the extreme, force change upon it.
  There might be conceivable alternatives, perhaps, but in the absence of them being realizable, we make do with what we have.
  
  They elect politicians with messages of hate, appealing to their envy and greed, in order to steal that money to spend on giveaways and free stuff for them.
  That's what you think taxation and spending is about, is that it? If you think that's all politicians, well, I can only say that while the outcome you worry over is lamentable and does exist, I do not find it to be universal.
  Still, it is not in the entirety. And when it does exist, you are not only possessed of the tools to change it, it is incumbent upon your government for you to have possession of them.
  The same cannot be said of a private entity. Those you are limited in your ability to control, but they do have the ability to harm you, and thus we must have a means to determine who is in the right and who is in the wrong.
  See above, about the system of law I already mentioned.
  Other aspects of government exist through that necessity.
  
  If it's not stealing, why do politicians sound like it is? Which politician ever said that they want someone to pay more tax to make the payer's life better? When politicians want votes, it's always they who will pay and we who will benefit. That's the language of stealing.
  I'm afraid I can't speak for unknown politicians, let alone what you're hearing them say, so I'll decline to address them, and most of the ones I've heard lately have not been speaking towards taxes or spending, but why the other guy sucks. But that's not the language of stealing, that's the actions of bickering fools consumed with their own hate. But promising anything? No, they've not even been doing that. At least, not unless you count "Make America Great Again" is a promise. That said, I'm sure I've seen some politicians promise hard-work in a folksy sense at one time or another. Maybe it was Walter Mondale? I forget, I really just get worked up over politicians when I hear from them lately, so I usually don't try to remember, but my reasons for that are quite different from yours.
  If you want to discuss why politicians often engage in such shallow discourse and dialogue, we could certainly discuss it, but it would not be of much merit to either of us, I think.
  No, I don't find listening to politicians to be much in the way of desirability, so I'd suggest that instead of looking at politicians, you look at some deeper tracts of philosophical works to examine the purpose of government. Or even just some documents of government. I don't know about where you live, but the one I live under particularly justifies its existence on the benefit to those it governs.
  And like it or not, it can't do it for free. So hence we pay taxes.
  But we do have the right to demand value for it.
52. Re:Government knows best! by Kohath · 2016-02-27 12:44 · Score: 1
  
  In other words, you can just walk away from a company, but with the government you need to get the majority's permission.
  And that's in the best-case scenario of a government that's actually accountable to the majority.
53. Re:Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 13:26 · Score: 0
  
  Your government is always subject to an accounting, by such means are expedient and necessary.
  That is the only way it can be right and proper.
  Otherwise, we could not expect it to hold account for us.
  And that is the purpose of its existence.
54. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 15:07 · Score: 0
  
  Thank you
55. Re: Government knows best! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 20:07 · Score: 0
  
  Taking from people by force, against their will, is stealing.
  Taxing only starts to become justifiable for public services. An example is taxing property to pay for a fire department to protect property from fires. The people who pay for it benefit from it. If it didn't exist, they might voluntarily decide to establish it and pay the tax so they can get the benefits.
  Taxing one person to get money for freebies and giveaways to another person is stealing. The person who pays does not benefit.
  Ah, I get it now. The entire expanse of the societal apparatus upon which notions like commerce and private property and currency depend was magically willed into existence for people to take advantage of, free of charge! There is no sovereign, and "rights" just exist as a matter of fiat. No individual ever gains any advantage or benefit from the ready access to civilization. When he decides he has goods or services to sell, all the infrastructure necessary to enable him to do so just mystically appears, as do his customers and clients.
  In all seriousness, in order for the argument that "taxation=theft" to make sense, it's necessary to establish the backdrop against which the claim is made. For American citizens, the sovereign is given the power to tax (and to tax incomes) by the same foundational document from which the legal recognition of the concept of "private property" and numerous other rights are also drawn. Claiming taxation is theft therefore requires both a repudiation of the validity of the sovereign's powers as well as a concomitant demonstration (based on the criteria that all benefits must be paid for espoused by the foregoing commenter) that the individual making such a claim has acquired or amassed the otherwise-taxable asset in complete and total independence; that is, without having received or benefitted from any aspect of existence derived from the sovereign and/or the fact of the sovereign's existence.
  Of course, it is doubtful those heard arguing "taxation is theft" ever stand in such a position as to actually advance the foregoing argument. More than likely they've taken and relied upon all of the invaluable benefits and appurtenances of citizenship in one of the wealthiest and advanced societies on the planet in acquiring the money or property they claim should not be taxed "because theft". In doing so, it becomes clear the popular version of the taxation=theft argument is little more than a feeble attempt to rationalize one's own greed.
56. Re:Government knows best! by l3v1 · 2016-02-28 00:52 · Score: 1
  
  "While it is so popular to blame the government, And no doubt many will, there is a basis for this, and it isn't the government, it is us."
  
  That's stupid enough. The IRS is one of the most important data holders about everyone, and they should be required to protect the data they handle, and they should be punishable with the highest possible penalties, since they should be held by higher standards than everyone else, including companies.
  
  --
  I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I can think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.
57. Re:Government knows best! by Ol+Olsoc · 2016-02-28 03:09 · Score: 1
  
  "While it is so popular to blame the government, And no doubt many will, there is a basis for this, and it isn't the government, it is us." That's stupid enough. The IRS is one of the most important data holders about everyone, and they should be required to protect the data they handle, and they should be punishable with the highest possible penalties, since they should be held by higher standards than everyone else, including companies.
  Very nice screed and all, but you could line up every IRS employee, push them off a cliff, and it wouldn't cure a thing. You do understand how this fraud is happening don't you?
  People who have personal information on the internet, and that is most of us, have had that information stolen. Social security, credit information, payroll information. The bad guys involved have made up artificial people who are indistinguishable from the real people without some fairly deep scrutiny.
  When the bad guy knows your name, social security, driver's license, credit card numbers, home address, place of work, medical records, and credit history, they can make up a pretty convincing you.
  Think Target, think Home Depot, then know that they are the tip of the iceberg.
  Given that the personal info is out there, and wasn't compromised by the IRS, but used by the perps to make up an artificial you, how would you suggest that the IRS handle this? DNA tests for everyone?
  And there is, I suspect, the bigger problem. I have a pretty good suspicion that for political reasons, you have a deep and abiding hatred of the IRS. So there probably isn't any scenario under which you wouldn't blame them.
  But know that pre-determination of the guilty party seldom results in fixing the problem. You want to be pissed at the IRS and guvmint, by all means have at it. But that isn't where the perps are getting their data to make up their artificial people.
  
  --
  The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
58. Re:Government knows best! by eric_harris_76 · 2016-02-28 07:30 · Score: 1
  
  Oh, dear. How unfortunate.
  Too bad it is impossible to repeal bad laws.
  It is, right?
  
  --
  There's no time like the present. Well, the past used to be.
59. Re:Government knows best! by Sir+Holo · 2016-02-28 15:48 · Score: 1
  
  Private company loses your data, you stop doing business with them. IRS loses your data, fuck you.
  Private company negligent with your data, private company gets sued and maybe criminally charged. IRS negligent with your data, fuck you. IRS workers keep their jobs, no one faces any consequences. Except you. Because fuck you.
  It's called "Sovereign Immunity."
  You can't sue the IRS, or any part of your US Government, except under way-out-there circumstances (which this dumb breach is unlikely to meet – IANAL).
I guess it's a good thing I don't pay my taxes by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 05:37 · Score: 0

Criminals can't steal what the IRS doesn't have.
1. Re:I guess it's a good thing I don't pay my taxes by Ol+Olsoc · 2016-02-27 06:55 · Score: 1
  
  Criminals can't steal what the IRS doesn't have.
  You don't know how the fraud works, do you?
  
  --
  The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
Since Trump won't share by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 05:42 · Score: 0

Can they post Trumps income tax returns?
Sign up before the crooks do it for you by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 05:44 · Score: 0

Krebs On Security...
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/03/sign-up-at-irs-gov-before-crooks-do-it-for-you
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/08/irs-330k-taxpayers-hit-by-get-transcript-scam
1. Re:Sign up before the crooks do it for you by fustakrakich · 2016-02-27 05:59 · Score: 2
  
  Sign Up at irs.gov Before Crooks Do It For You
  Neat trick, huh? *Come and get tattooed 'voluntarily'*
  Since the IRS doesn't really know what was stolen, or not telling, it would mean that all of it was taken. All those rich bastards are smart to keep their money hidden offshore.
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
No justice. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 05:47 · Score: 1

Heads should roll. But they won't.
Those Tepublucans... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 05:50 · Score: 0

are just giving away out information. Giving away our information.
Face it. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:02 · Score: 4, Insightful

Your government will not tell you the truth until it absolutely must, and not even then.
Just operate on the following assumptions, and you should be just fine:
1. ALL of your personal data has been compromised. The reason maybe your identity hasn't been misused is that either it isn't valuable enough, or they just haven't gotten around to it. With so many stolen identities to choose from, the sheer volume of stolen data almost works FOR the people whose data was stolen.
2. Your government is full of incompetent, corrupt, stupid, assholes at best, with the occasional competent, compassionate, caring individual, but they're the outliers, the exceptions. Then, there are a few truly evil, malicious ones who make you happy when you come up against one of the merely incompetent, and just so glad when the interaction is over that you forget how much you wanted to do something to fix it, because hey, it's not your problem anymore.
3. The people mentioned in 2, above, are most likely spying on you, legally or otherwise.
4. 99+% of the time, the information gathered in 3, above, will never be used against you, in a civil or criminal court; you're just not that damned interesting, therefore...
5. You should go about your life, because there isn't Jack shit you can do about any of this anyway. Your data has been stolen and is in the hands of, as a minimum, the Chinese, if not others. You're NOT going to go "off-grid," and "disappear," it's simply not worth the effort, and besides, they'll still know where you are anyway, so that it will turn out to be pointless, and an ineffective way to protect your "privacy" anyway. You can't fire people in the bureaucracy, and you'll never get others to agree to throw all the bought-and-paid-for jerks out of office at the ballot box. The people spying on you are mostly bored to fucking tears because most of us are, and you probably too, are boring as shit. You'll keep an eye periodically on your credit report(s) to deal with any spurious new loans or borrowing you didn't authorize, and otherwise just continue to live your life.
Live it.
My first IRS tax _refund_ in 15 years by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:18 · Score: 0

and some hacker is going to get instead of me. Damn!
1. Re: My first IRS tax _refund_ in 15 years by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 07:27 · Score: 0
  
  That's why you should always have your finances set up so that you owe money come April 15.
IRS hackers wish list by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:26 · Score: 0

1. Hillary Clinton's email server contents
2. Trump's tax return
3. Ted Cruz's Canadian felon relative
4. Marco Rubio's cuban sandwich recipe
5. Bernie's health physical summary
.
.
.
.
.
My personal data
Data leak shows what, now? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 06:45 · Score: 1

This data leak shows how difficult it is nowadays to verify true identities.
It would seem to me that it instead demonstrates that your entire notion of "identity" as some small subset of facts about a person is stupid. Identity as a concept is the sum of what makes us distinct from everything else, is it any wonder that you find you run into limitations with a shoehorn like this? The entire concept of identity that governments and social media networks are pushing, identity = name = face = SSN = only one per person, is fundamentally broken. It's true that each person has a distinct identity, but trying to summarize it with anything less than the full complexity of what makes them distinct is doomed to failure.
1. Re: Data leak shows what, now? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 07:30 · Score: 0
  
  You got it. Anyone who works with CMDBs understand what "identity" actually is. A SSN/TaxID number is good for one thing only: paying taxes.
  It is the idiotic creditors that use that "identity" for wrongful purposes.
Don't worry though by NotSoHeavyD3 · 2016-02-27 06:54 · Score: 3, Interesting

If we give them a back door to all iPhones that won't get stolen from government servers, you have their word on it.

--
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
1. Re:Don't worry though by Sir+Holo · 2016-02-28 15:43 · Score: 1
  
  If we give them a back door to all iPhones that won't get stolen from government servers, you have their word on it.
  If you have been arrested, and are temporarily in the local City jail – rightly or wrongly – you have no way to trigger the "nuke my iPhone's memory" via "Find My iPhone" on the iCloud website (.Mac website).
  You get a phone call, but only after cops have held you for as long as legally possible. They will then ask if you would like to make a phone call.
  "Yes, I want to call my attorney/partner/anyone", you say.
  Cop response: "OK, so what's the phone number?"
  You respond, "It's on my cell phone—no one memorizes phone numbers these days."
  Cop response: "Your cell phone is secured as evidence, and is unavailable to you. If you cannot recall the phone number that you wish to call, then you are SOL."
  Then under their breath, the cops add, "Hahaha, I have an IQ of less than 110 – more like 95 – but I have power over you, you collared-shirt-wearing educated (and therefore snobby) perp."
  This is how it works. The law lags very far behind reality. And enforcement of The Law... oh boy! DO NOT mention a recent US Supreme Court decision on a demand that a cop is illegally trying to make. They do not not like that. They do not like having to follow any laws.
  DON'T ever touch your car—they will steal it.
  DON'T say "No" directly, but say so in effect. If you are not 'in control of a car' (touching it counts), you have no obligation to show any identification papers.
  Cops have one goal only—get arrests to close cases and get their raises. They do not care that the Court Process in the US is the only way any person, even innocents, can extricate themselves from the system. It's usually with an attorney, and a plead of No Contest, or argued down to Guilty of a lesser offense. The truth does not matter. Cops will perjure themselves left and right in an arrest report, knowing that they have immunity.
  This is why I videotape them whenever I see them doing anything. Hence, they hate me for asserting my rights.
"Duped' by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 07:00 · Score: 0

Do you mean "incremented the userid in the url"?
Re:They should have put the data on an iphone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 08:44 · Score: 0

You're in the wrong place and time, son. You should have be born into Nazi Germany, you'd have felt right at home.
IRS by seven+of+five · 2016-02-27 08:52 · Score: 1

Needs an audit.
This is pretty bad... by aaarrrgggh · 2016-02-27 11:48 · Score: 1

Tax transcripts give pretty much information-- being able to hijack that information and then do more targeted attacks for refunds is a very big deal. At a loss for how they could do it though; the transcripts are only supposed to be sent to your last tax return address.
Fined by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 13:57 · Score: 0

Shouldn't these assholes be fined. The staff should be fined personally for payments to be made to the taxpayers.
Defacto lawsuit bait? by galabar · 2016-02-27 14:59 · Score: 1

Weren't there folks on here claiming that the simple act of losing the information is enough to cause harm and allow a lawsuit?
No Brains? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-27 17:37 · Score: 0

Why the hell are they letting people download their IRS history online?
The Internet is connected to *everywhere*.
If they mailed it to me, you would think some idiot would notice, why is my U.S. tax return being mailed to Russia?
Standard operating procedure by erp_consultant · 2016-02-27 18:23 · Score: 1

This is pretty much straight from the government playbook. First, deny that the incident occurred in the first place. Anyone that challenges you is automatically branded as some tin foil hat wearing malcontent. Second, when the news does finally come out then lie about the extent of it. Third, slowly let out the real numbers (or close to it). By then the public has forgot about the scandal and moved on to the next one.
This is why I don't trust these bastards to do anything right. Next up, massive data breach from healthcare.gov. The government lies to us constantly. Nearly every program they undertake ends up being a massive failure. And yet so many people still look to the government to solve their problems. The government does not solve problems. Government IS the problem.
Doubleplusungood! by dbIII · 2016-02-28 03:40 · Score: 1

Silly language tricks and trying to dumb it down to a "newspeak" sort of phrase like "taxation is theft" is pointless.
You are not a cocaine addled former DJ and this is not Fox so you have no excuse to go on like that.

Like it or not we've had civilisation for a few thousand years instead of just hunter gatherers and people have to work together to make it work, with things like taxation and tithing as a symptom of that. It would be nice if we could all help out with barn raisings and so on instead of having to pay tax but society is a little bit too complicated for that to work out.
1. Re:Doubleplusungood! by Kohath · 2016-02-28 06:06 · Score: 1
  
  Stealing from widows and orphans isn't necessary for civilization. There was no estate tax in 2010 and civilization continued.
  If you want to steal from widows and orphans for your own greedy purposes, just say so. Don't hide behind "civilization".
2. Re:Doubleplusungood! by dbIII · 2016-02-28 11:03 · Score: 1
  
  How strange. Maybe I was wrong about the cocaine addled bit, something is definitely wrong and it's not just a limited understanding of the English language.
  By the way, I live in a place with no estate tax.
3. Re:Doubleplusungood! by Kohath · 2016-02-28 11:32 · Score: 1
  
  By the way, I live in a place with no estate tax.
  I hear those places are uncivilized, have no roads or sewers, and bands of gunmen roam the streets shooting mothers who only venture out of their huts because their children are starving to death. If any tax is cut for anyone, people on Slashdot assure me this is the immediate result.
4. Re:Doubleplusungood! by dbIII · 2016-02-28 13:28 · Score: 1
  
  That's what the NRA keeps on saying about this place as if "Mad Max" was real. Why don't you and Oliver North of the NRA go off and found your own Kingdom somewhere and get income from selling weapons to terrorists instead of taxation? He's raised money that way before so you've got a head start.
no, flawed business logic by peter303 · 2016-02-29 03:48 · Score: 1

GetTranscipt just requires three taxpayer identifiers, while a tax filing requires five. You get #4 hacking GetTranscript.