The House Judiciary Committee has opened an investigation into whether the IRS is invading Americans ‘ economic protection through artificial intelligence. The investigation comes after an agency employee was discovered in an incognito tape that suggested it was being conducted a widespread surveillance operation that might not be legal, according to Just the News.
The examination was opened by , Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R- Ohio, and Rep. Harriet Hageman, R- Wyo., who sent a notice to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen demanding documents, and answers as to how the company is now employing artificial intelligence to comb through bank records to look for probable tax cheats.
The FBI has been examining why it was obtaining American ‘ bank information, including those who participated in the January 6 Capitol protests, without using summons or search warrants.
Jordan’s and Hageman’s letter said lawmakers have evidence and reason , to believe that the IRS and Department of Justice ( DOJ) are  , actively monitoring millions of Americans ‘ , private transactions, bank accounts, and related financial information—without any legal process—using the AI- powered system.
” This kind of pervasive financial surveillance, carried out in coordination with federal law enforcement, into Americans ‘ , private financial records raises serious doubts about the IRS ‘s—and the federal government ‘s—respect for Americans ‘ , fundamental civil liberties”, the letter said.
According to Hageman, “one of the things that I have learned since I’ve been in Congress is that there are a lot of people in government who do not respect our democratic safeguards,” Hageman said. ” They’ve sort of forgotten or at least ignored our Bill of Rights”.
The Treasury Department has since acknowledged it has “implemented an improved process using AI to alleviate check fraud in nearby real-time by strengthening and expediting processes to restore possibly fraudulent payments from economic institutions” as reported by Only the News.
