Grover Norquist in Fox Business Interview by Americans for Tax Reform is licensed under CC.
Many Washington Area workers handling government data strictly separate their professional and personal obligations by carrying separate work and personal phones and laptops. Is it really too much to ask all IRS agents to do the same?
Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist was a guest this week on Fox Business Network’s The Bottom Line with Dagen and Duffy for a discussion of the inherent risks of the IRS “Bring Your Own Device” program.
Alarmingly, IRS agents handling the most sensitive and personal taxpayer files are allowed to use their personal phones and laptops to access, store, process and transmit this information. Even if they are lounging around their couch at home.
The official IRS watchdog — the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration — has repeatedly warned the IRS about the Bring Your Own Device risks.
With barely half of agents actually showing up for work in an office, agents working from their couch at home with roommates or family members opens up more opportunities for snooping or theft. In addition, many of these same agents are running afoul of the No TikTok on Government Devices Act.
Norquist said:
“One, we know that even when they are working in the IRS, they have a bad habit of looking at things they are not supposed to, having those things stolen. We just discovered one person was credited with taking [at least 7,600] different IRS documents out and giving them to a left wing group.”
“The guy who had [at least 7,600] crimes was charged with one. [IRS Chief] Werfel does not take your personal data being given to somebody else for political purposes — he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care. And we know that not looking forward but looking back at what he has not done. And now this Bring Your Own Device — the IRS agents have your data on their iPad, their iPhone, they walk around with it, they keep it at home, they play with it…this is not government devices, these are their own personal devices. The IRS allows that to happen. Werfel should find another job.”
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