In a recent report in Accounting Today, new documents from the Internal Revenue Service suggest the agency’s criminal tax division has been reading taxpayers’ emails without a warrant despite an appeals court decision saying that such conduct violates the Fourth Amendment. The 247 pages of documents were released to the American Civil Liberties Union after the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request. The article also suggested that the IRS routinely uses social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to gather information from taxpayers that may not necessarily match their returns. While it might be obvious, the foregoing facts indicate that it is well-advised not to leave private, confidential information on email servers, and to be careful what is discussed or disclosed through social media venues.
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
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