e-services Online Privacy Statement

 

Thank you for visiting the Internal Revenue Service's e-services web site. The Internal Revenue Service administers this site and is committed to protecting the privacy rights of America's taxpayers. These rights are ensured through the Internal Revenue Code, the Privacy Act, other Federal statutes and IRS policies and practices. Our concern for your privacy is no different in the electronic age. Any personal information you may provide as part of the registration process, will be used only for purposes described at the point of collection.

Our registration process involves collecting personal and taxpayer data for the purpose of authenticating your identity. We may also use the contact data you provide to solicit your feedback regarding our electronic products and services.  Using these services is voluntary. There are applications on this web site that provide you with the opportunity to ask questions requiring a response.  Providing the requested information implies your consent for us to use this data in order to respond to your specific request or seek your opinion.

We will not collect personal information about you simply because you visit this site. To improve the usefulness of this web site for our users, we automatically collect and maintain statistical information from our site's data logs that concern network traffic flow and volume. This information consists of: name of domain from which the visitor accesses the Internet (e.g. "a company.com"; "a school.edu"; or "an agency.gov"), Internet protocol number, date and time the e-services web site is visited and type of browser and operating system used to access the site.

This information does not identify individual visitors and is used to assist program administrators in any technical problems that may occur. Aggregate information about the individual web pages visited is collected to improve the content and structure of the web site. This information is retained for a minimum of 90 days to comply with National Archives and Records Administration requirements.

The e-services web site uses temporary session "cookies" to give users a single, uninterrupted session when they are online  e-services requires that you use a "cookie"-enabled browser when you are within the secured area of the web site. This enables you to move from one secure section to another without having to stop and re-enter your identifying data (such as username and password). This temporary session "cookie" contains a system-generated session ID only and is immediately deleted upon leaving the site.

We also monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise cause damage to the web service. We focus on web site security so that this service remains available to you and other visitors. No attempts are made to identify individual users unless illegal behavior is suspected.

Any information we collect and maintain in the course of responding to you will be handled in accordance with the access and privacy protection requirements of the Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and the Internal Revenue Code. For further information regarding these statutes, visit the IRS Electronic Freedom of Information Act Reading Room.

We will not share the information you give us with anyone unless required by law. We also will not sell your information.

If you have any questions or comments regarding our website privacy policy, please contact Privacy, Governmental Liaison and Disclosure at 202-317-6257, or by mail:

Director, Privacy, Governmental Liaison and Disclosure
Internal Revenue Service
OS:P Room 7050
1111 Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20224