ArtLanguage... I've outlined what happened in response to another poster. These are not excuses. We take security very seriously and we continue to work diligently to maintain the highest security possible. We perform all the security procedures you outlined and more. We have acknowledged this incident, explained what happened and will improve upon those things that will help us ensure this does not happen again. To speak in more detail about the security procedures we follow would sinmply compromise our security. So if I'm being vague about exactly what we do from a security standpoint, there is a legitimate reason. Your feedback is appreciated and has been shared with the rest of the team.
PetManimal... Thanks for your loyalty to TurboTax software and your feedback.
This was a single, isolated case of one customer gaining access to prior year tax returns of three customers. The sequence of events and keystrokes used by the customer to gain access were unusual and in an area of our web site rarely used. Since that time, that specific site was removed. This was NOT in any way related to our TurboTax Online application nor was access gained through TurboTax Online. Additionally, our investigation (which is always ongoing with regard to security procedures) has not revealed any other unauthorized access.
The "poor security practices" post you refer to below has no relationship to this current issue. I can say that the suggestion in the referenced post is under consideration. The challenge is in finding the right balance between security and customers' overwhelming desire/need to be reminded of their user ID from one year to the next.
Re:Best Tax Programs - TurboTax and Linux
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Best Tax Programs?
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Regarding the inclusion of a survey in each box of TurboTax... Thanks for the suggestions, and yes, we have considered that. One of the problems with this is that you don't get a reliable read from the results. What you get is feedback from those customers who are predisposed to responding to such surveys. You then miss out on all the other customers who don't bother responding. That's good if all you want are results from those "responsive" customers. That's why we do a statistically valid survey of our customers throughout the year to understand their needs, wants and demographics.
Additionally, we include a link from each page (or Interview screen) within TurboTax (see Get Answers / Send Us Feedback on the left side of the screen) that enables customers to provide us feedback in real time. We use this feedback to help us prioritize product initiatives.
I hope this information helps.
Bob Meighan
VP, TurboTax
Re:Best Tax Programs - TurboTax and Linux
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Best Tax Programs?
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· Score: 1
TurboTax Online does support Linux, so that is one option.
We have not previously provided a Linux version of TurboTax (desktop) simply because it has not even hit our radar screen in terms of customer demand. While it is probably not a huge technical hurdle to develop, I suspect it would not come close to providing the return to justify the development efforts. Years ago we developed the tax language to enable us to write the code once and port to Windows, Mac and Internet versions of TurboTax. That early effort enabled us to support Mac without too much concern for the size of that base. I also suspect that most Linux users have access to Windows computers, so I question how many people really need a TurboTax Linux version. That's the reality, but if we get enough demand, we'll meet the need.
An Open Source version? Well our current business model does not support an open source model and I don't see that changing soon. However, we do provide TurboTax Online to about 2 million customers/year at no charge.
Cliff... I have a bias as noted below, but based on the fact that you have some small business income (Schedule C), it's best to spend a little more for a tax program that will thoroughly walk you through this and other challenging areas. This is what differentiates TurboTax from the other programs. In the challenging areas, TurboTax will walk you through the questions with complete descriptions and examples of what is needed. In the end, you'll be more confident that you've completed your return accurately and haven't miss any deductions. Sure, you can save a few bucks by using another tax program, but you're likely to come away feeling less confident of the results and more likely to miss deductions.
When it comes to your taxes (your money!), don't skimp on a less than excellent tax program. Get TurboTax. I've reviewed all the other programs and can state this with confidence.
Slashdot Mirror
Bob Meighan
VP, TurboTax
This was a single, isolated case of one customer gaining access to prior year tax returns of three customers. The sequence of events and keystrokes used by the customer to gain access were unusual and in an area of our web site rarely used. Since that time, that specific site was removed. This was NOT in any way related to our TurboTax Online application nor was access gained through TurboTax Online. Additionally, our investigation (which is always ongoing with regard to security procedures) has not revealed any other unauthorized access.
The "poor security practices" post you refer to below has no relationship to this current issue. I can say that the suggestion in the referenced post is under consideration. The challenge is in finding the right balance between security and customers' overwhelming desire/need to be reminded of their user ID from one year to the next.
Bob Meighan
VP, TurboTax
There is a post on the TurboTax site (http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax_products/turbotax_ advantages/secure.jhtml;jsessionid=FQK0HSUDKCVCMCQ IAURRYUQKBACREF4K) disclosing and providing more facts on this issue. The issue does NOT affect the TurboTax Online application.
Bob Meighan
VP, TurboTax
Additionally, we include a link from each page (or Interview screen) within TurboTax (see Get Answers / Send Us Feedback on the left side of the screen) that enables customers to provide us feedback in real time. We use this feedback to help us prioritize product initiatives.
I hope this information helps.
Bob Meighan
VP, TurboTax
We have not previously provided a Linux version of TurboTax (desktop) simply because it has not even hit our radar screen in terms of customer demand. While it is probably not a huge technical hurdle to develop, I suspect it would not come close to providing the return to justify the development efforts. Years ago we developed the tax language to enable us to write the code once and port to Windows, Mac and Internet versions of TurboTax. That early effort enabled us to support Mac without too much concern for the size of that base. I also suspect that most Linux users have access to Windows computers, so I question how many people really need a TurboTax Linux version. That's the reality, but if we get enough demand, we'll meet the need.
An Open Source version? Well our current business model does not support an open source model and I don't see that changing soon. However, we do provide TurboTax Online to about 2 million customers/year at no charge.
Bob Meighan
VP, TurboTax
When it comes to your taxes (your money!), don't skimp on a less than excellent tax program. Get TurboTax. I've reviewed all the other programs and can state this with confidence.
Bob Meighan VP, TurboTax