In a recent press release the IRS complains that it currently has no formal tool to access the social media treasure trove of public information, compile social media feeds, or search multiple social media sites.
Current IRS policy severely limits IRS employees' use of internet based social media research. The IRS generally bars most employees from logging into any social media site with a user ID and password for work purposes. This means employees typically may not use personal social media accounts for work, and they may not create government or fictitious social media accounts to carry out compliance-related work.
The IRS wants to change this situation, seeking proposals from vendors who can provide ways to poke around your social media accounts for data that could be relevant to an audit.
The IRS's hope is that a vendor-supplied tool would help the IRS in identifying resources and assisting with the collection of known tax deficiencies, leading to increased collection of revenue involving unfiled tax returns and other tax liabilities. (i.e., it will help find assets to seize. So, maybe don't post a picture of that new yacht you registered to a shell corporation in the Cayman Islands.)
The IRS emphasizes that this tool would be used to assist with previously identified tax compliance cases 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.
The press release (12/18/18) dutifully notes, the IRS will also be mindful that information posted on social media and the internet may be wrong or misleading. (Shocking Headline: “US Government Finds Internet Full of Lies.”)
