To err once might be human. To err “approximately 42,695 times” is to disregard the law.
A federal judge ruled this week that the Internal Revenue Service violated the law tens of thousands of times last summer when the agency shared confidential taxpayer addresses with the Department of Homeland Security for the purpose of rounding up illegal immigrants.
People illegally in the country won’t pay what they owe the government if they think doing so will lead to their deportation. The breach reflects an irresponsible attitude toward all taxpaying Americans who hand over personal data on the assumption their identifying details will remain private and secure unless important requirements are met.
In her Thursday ruling, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the IRS turned over thousands of addresses despite DHS failing to provide basic details to confirm that specific individuals were being targeted. The law is written to stop private information from getting caught up in such data mining exercises.
The department requested 1.2 million addresses of individuals last year in a bid to provide leads for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out raids. Earlier this month, The Post exposed the improper sharing of information, which the government subsequently confirmed in a court filing.
The law protects privacy for good reasons. Sharing tax information landed an IRS contractor in jail for years.
The Trump administration also undermines its case for more cooperation between state and federal law enforcement on immigration when it reveals a willingness to cut corners on taxpayer privacy.
There is no known incident of so many tax records being compromised in one go. There should never be another.
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