The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is investigating ways to use social media to find tax cheats.

First spotted today by QZ.com, a “Social Media Research Request” was filed by the IRS’ National Office of Procurement on the Federal Business Opportunities website Dec. 18 for “information or tools available in the marketplace” to allow them to search social media.

“Businesses and individuals increasingly use social media to advertise, promote and sell products and services,” the request reads. “For example, taxpayers can create ‘online stores’ on social networking sites free of cost. Much of this information is unrestricted, allowing the public, businesses and various governmental agencies to discover taxpayers’ locations and income sources. But the IRS currently has no formal tool to access this public information, compile social media feeds, or search multiple social media sites.”

Although the request appears to be a move by the IRS to formalize more widespread spying on Americans, the IRS has used social media as part of tax investigations before. In 2014 it was reported that the IRS was using data from social media where people either filed dubious tax returns or no tax return at all. In 2017 it was alleged that the IRS was data mining social media accounts for a similar purpose, possibly in breach of federal law.

The IRS denies that the request is a move to more widespread spying, however. “The IRS emphasizes that this tool, if the agency decides to pursue the use of it, would be done to assist with previously identified tax compliance cases,” the request notes. “The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and such a tool would not be used to search the internet or social media sites for purposes of identifying or initiating new tax audits.”

Regardless, this is unquestionably an expansion of Big Brother watching taxpayers. Social media users’ right to privacy is a different argument. As reported Dec. 19, Facebook Inc. was providing access to private messages to corporate partners, including in some cases the ability to write and delete posts.

Photo: MBisanz/Wikimedia Commons