Message #33388

[Mark]

IRS collecting tax payer information from Facebook and Twitter

You have until April 15th to file a return - and the IRS will be collecting a lot more than just taxes this year.

According to several reports, the agency will also be collecting personal information from sites like Facebook and Twitter.

It says the effort is to catch people trying to beat the system, but some say it goes too far.

Attorney Kristen Mathews warns to be careful with what you say on social media platforms.

She has concerns the government is pushing the limits of what has historically been considered private.

"There are laws that regulate the government's ability to get a hold of things like credit card transaction history. But those laws have become more permissive in the last several years, particularly after 9-11, and so some might say those laws are no longer in line with the average expectation of privacy," says Mathews.

The government has said it would only check a Facebook page or twitter account if there is already red flag in a tax form.

Read more: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/21905788/irs-collecting-tax-payer-information-from-facebook-and-twitter#ixzz2PszOPyqM