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TaxAct and TaxHawk give Google open visibility into your tax returns


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2024 Apr 3, 1:11pm   290 views  16 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (55)   💰tip   ignore  

I dumped TaxAct for betraying my privacy to Google a few years ago, but now TaxHawk is doing it as well.

It won't work unless you allow Google spyware, which lets Google see literally everything you enter.

Looking for a service with at least a semblance of privacy. I'll use paper if I have to.


Comments 1 - 16 of 16        Search these comments

1   Patrick   2024 Apr 3, 1:14pm  

freetaxusa.com also refuses to work with Google spyware blocked.
2   Patrick   2024 Apr 3, 1:22pm  

And olt.com also refuses unless you hand over all your info to Google.

Has stupidly big message: ENABLE GOOGLE AUTHENTICATOR APP VERIFICATION
3   WookieMan   2024 Apr 3, 1:46pm  

What are you concerned about with your tax returns? You don't think the IRS gives out your information? They 100% do. They scan and I forget the acronym for the tech but all your data is stored in a database from the paper scan. Why do you think you get paper mail for credit card offers and stuff like that? Everyone knows your income. They know where you live.

I've said it before. Fuck with your data online. Use google. Search for shit like "apes that fuck giraffes" or any thing off the wall. You've fucked up the data and google loses money with the ads because you aren't fucking giraffes or apes. They sell data based on what you searched. As I've said I will search for one completely off the wall thing daily, at least.

One biggie is searching for weird names online. Like this.

4   richwicks   2024 Apr 3, 2:33pm  

If you REALLY want to access an intrusive asshole website, here's what you do IF TOR doesn't work under Brave, and you might want to do anyhow, because maybe you can't trust Brave

1) Install a Virtual Machine with Linux on it.
2) Boot into the Linux machine, install whatever web-browser you intend to use.
3) SHUT DOWN the Virtual Machine, now archive it, save a copy
4) Boot up again, do whatever you want, access what you want
5) delete the virtual machine, next time you need to do this, restore your archive

There, NO HISTORY.

Anybody want me to setup a virtual machine? I use Virtual Box. You will need to install Virtual Box and the Virtual Box extensions. If you are under Linux now, do not install Virtual Box from a repository, go to their website and install from there otherwise you won't be able to install the VirtualBox extensions.

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
5   Patrick   2024 Apr 3, 5:00pm  

But that won't help me to stop Google from accessing my tax returns, because their javascript can instantly report it to Google as soon as I enter it on taxhawk.com or whatever.
6   Patrick   2024 Apr 3, 5:02pm  

WookieMan says

What are you concerned about with your tax returns? You don't think the IRS gives out your information? They 100% do.


It's the principle of the thing.

I don't think the IRS sells whole tax returns. Show me where they do that if you think they do.
7   WookieMan   2024 Apr 4, 4:59am  

Patrick says

WookieMan says

What are you concerned about with your tax returns? You don't think the IRS gives out your information? They 100% do.

It's the principle of the thing.

I don't think the IRS sells whole tax returns. Show me where they do that if you think they do.

In RE, we'd market to leads with data based on income. I'm out of the game now, but your tax records are for sure are given out. Not full details, gross income. Let me know on the paper returns where you can agree that your information won't be sold? The IRS is the mafia. Pulling a Rich here, but it's fact. Everything is scanned. Figured out the acronym. ORC for text recognition. Paper filer's data is made digital. And yes it's shared and sold. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/taxpayer-bill-of-rights-8#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20the%20IRS%20may,mortgage%20or%20student%20loan%20application.)

Read the wording slowly. At no point does it say they won't sell it. They say unless you authorize sharing it. Let me know where you find the denial or authorization to share it on you paper taxes? They can do what they want with your information. Besides publicly traded shares, how do you think organizations know the wealth of most of the richest people? They didn't just share it. Why would they?

People get targeted advertisements because they have a rough idea of what you're worth. Why would the IRS even say what they do in that link if they don't share it? Remember the head of the IRS isn't elected. They can kind of do what they want. And have been shown to have done worse than selling some names and numbers.

Everyone always thinks of government controls google for example. Maybe google controls the government? And other big businesses. If you never had the internet you will 100% still get targeted mail marketing. Where does that data come from? The IRS is in the top 3 awful government agencies. Frankly it might be #1. It's weaponized against its own citizens by unelected people.
8   PeopleUnited   2024 Apr 4, 5:27am  

WookieMan says

Maybe google controls the government? And other big businesses.

Yep, we have a bingo!

9   clambo   2024 Apr 4, 6:26am  

I always download HR Block software, I don't use web based anything for my tax return.
10   ForcedTQ   2024 Apr 4, 6:52am  

Patrick says

freetaxusa.com also refuses to work with Google spyware blocked.


DAMNIT! That was my go to for the last 8 or so years after I figured out what TaxACT was doing….
11   NuttBoxer   2024 Apr 4, 9:25am  

I don't have JS blocked on Brave, but it's blocks trackers, etc. Plus I run PiHole on top of that. Didn't have any issues using freeTaxUSA.

But I think it's important to understand, the information you enter on your taxes is from your employer, or companies managing your assets(unless you work for cash), so there's already likely a record with google before you ever sit down to file taxes.

Again, I'm going to go back to the foundation of privacy. Who knows where you physically reside? It all starts with your home address, not your tax software.
12   NuttBoxer   2024 Apr 4, 9:27am  

richwicks says

If you REALLY want to access an intrusive asshole website, here's what you do IF TOR doesn't work under Brave, and you might want to do anyhow, because maybe you can't trust Brave

1) Install a Virtual Machine with Linux on it.
2) Boot into the Linux machine, install whatever web-browser you intend to use.
3) SHUT DOWN the Virtual Machine, now archive it, save a copy
4) Boot up again, do whatever you want, access what you want
5) delete the virtual machine, next time you need to do this, restore your archive

There, NO HISTORY.

Anybody want me to setup a virtual machine? I use Virtual Box. You will need to install Virtual Box and the Virtual Box extensions. If you are under Linux now, do not install Virtual Box from a repository, go to their website and install from there otherwise you won't be able to install the VirtualBox extensions.

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads


I think it's important to point out this doesn't eliminate signatures from your HW, and any other information gathered by VB. Tails is a better option, or Whonix.
13   beershrine   2024 Apr 4, 2:11pm  

I don't see how google can access anything in a tax return. All my blockers up and working OLT log on works fine. Btw the best tax return is filled out off-line and mailed.
14   richwicks   2024 Apr 4, 2:22pm  

NuttBoxer says

I think it's important to point out this doesn't eliminate signatures from your HW, and any other information gathered by VB. Tails is a better option, or Whonix.


It should on a virtual machine. The Ethernet address is false and created by the VM, and you can set it to whatever you like. I don't know if computer chips have individual serial numbers, I doubt it.

Tails works fine, but it's slow and you can just run that in a VM as well. I don't trust TOR, who runs it?
15   WookieMan   2024 Apr 4, 2:30pm  

NuttBoxer says

But I think it's important to understand, the information you enter on your taxes is from your employer, or companies managing your assets(unless you work for cash), so there's already likely a record with google before you ever sit down to file taxes.

For the win! Any income is reported outside of yourself. You don't have a choice. W-2 or 1099 or investments. And The IRS can still report the income either way. Anyone let me know where and when you declined sharing info outside the IRS? I'll be waiting.
16   Patrick   2024 Apr 6, 5:50pm  

beershrine says

I don't see how google can access anything in a tax return. All my blockers up and working OLT log on works fine. Btw the best tax return is filled out off-line and mailed.


@beershrine

I've checked the sites I mentioned, and they contain Google javascript. Any 3rd party javascript can read and modify anything on the page.

1st party: the user
2nd party: the tax site
3rd party: Google

Any site which includes any Google javascript grants Google complete access to every keystroke and every mouse movement you make on that site.

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