Re: A mini rant on IRS and Social Security

[Toto <toto@sk.sympatico.ca>]

Timothy C. May wrote:
> 
> Many of you in the United States have probably seen the reports on how the
> Social Security Administration has pulled their Web site, citing security
> problems.
> 
> I'm not naive. I knew that anything I reported to the IRS, or that my
> employers reported, was accessible to those with access (Q.E.D.). I just am
> surprised that  my earnings for the past 28 years are "online," available
> to anyone with the few bits of entropy needed to get past the minimal
> security.
> 
> This ought to be recounted far and wide. Remind your siblings, friends, and
> others about this situation. Point out to them that when a society becomes
> dominated by "accounts," instead of old-fashioned cash payments, then he
> who controls the keys controls everything.

IRS Continues Personal Privacy and Security Breeches 
        (From the NYTimes, April 9, 1997) 

        The IRS admitted that it has not stemmed the improper browsing
of
        taxpayer records by nosy agents. 1,515 such cases have become
known
        in the last two years. A study of the EARL (Electronic Audit
Research
        Log) software program indicates that, "some employees, when
        encountered, indicated they browsed because they do not believe
it is
        wrong and that there will be little consequence to them if they
are
        caught." About 51,000 IRS employees have access to taxpayer
records
        through the Integrated Data Retrieval System. 

        Senator John Glenn, (D-OH) agrees, as recent court rulings have
        decided that these invasions of privacy are not illegal as long
as the
        information is not given to others; as though determining that
was at all
        possible. Senator Glenn is attempting to levy heavy fines and
        imprisonment for violators. The GAO has also determined,
according to
        their recent report on these abuses, that 6,400 tapes and
cartridges
        which "might" contain taxpayer information are also missing. 

-- 
Toto
"The Xenix Chainsaw Massacre"
http://bureau42.base.org/public/xenix/xenbody.html