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> just logging in and saying "yes" to the computed value Holy crap, so if a h4x0r breaks into that website they can see the income and assets of every citizen

> just logging in and saying "yes" to the computed value Holy crap, so if a h4x0r breaks into that website they can see the income and assets of every citizen of your country? That's nuts. The IRS sucks, but believe it or not they're smart about keeping data secure. The massive mainframe into which all that employer-related data gets loaded is not web-connected. In fact, not even IRS employees can access the data in there via the web. The only connectivity is through (fairly) dumb terminals with a chip-card slot. The chip-card signs each query before it's sent to the mainframe. Yank out the card and the terminal will cease to respond to your commands. The chip-card is also their employee badge.

refurb 6y ago
My understanding is income tax and income is public in many of these countries.
- KirillPanov 6y ago
  You've got to be kidding me. Like if I have somebody's name I can just call up their government and ask what their salary is? I find that hard to believe. Please name these countries.
  - bennofs 6y ago
    norway, according to this article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2016/apr/11/when-it-comes-to-tax-transparency-norway-leads-the-field https://www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2016/apr/11/when-it-c...
  - koyote 6y ago
    Here you go: https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/forms/search-the-tax-lists/ https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/forms/search-the-tax-lists/
  - mustyoshi 6y ago
    "You can also check if someone has searched for you. If you search for anyone, they can see that you did" This is why it's not as bad as you think.
  - koodijaba 6y ago
    Finland to name one. "As part of Finland’s celebrated transparency, any member of the public can call up the local tax office to enquire about a total stranger’s annual income and tax contributions." - https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/in_finland_all_it_takes_is_a_phone_call_to_find_out_how_much_your_neighbour_earned_last_year/9909781 https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/in_finland_all_it_takes_i... Also tax and income data for everyone earning over 100 000€ a year will be posted publicly online (with an option to opt-out).

refurb 6y ago

My understanding is income tax and income is public in many of these countries.

KirillPanov 6y ago
You've got to be kidding me. Like if I have somebody's name I can just call up their government and ask what their salary is? I find that hard to believe. Please name these countries.
- bennofs 6y ago
  norway, according to this article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2016/apr/11/when-it-comes-to-tax-transparency-norway-leads-the-field https://www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2016/apr/11/when-it-c...
- koyote 6y ago
  Here you go: https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/forms/search-the-tax-lists/ https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/forms/search-the-tax-lists/
- mustyoshi 6y ago
  "You can also check if someone has searched for you. If you search for anyone, they can see that you did" This is why it's not as bad as you think.
- koodijaba 6y ago
  Finland to name one. "As part of Finland’s celebrated transparency, any member of the public can call up the local tax office to enquire about a total stranger’s annual income and tax contributions." - https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/in_finland_all_it_takes_is_a_phone_call_to_find_out_how_much_your_neighbour_earned_last_year/9909781 https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/in_finland_all_it_takes_i... Also tax and income data for everyone earning over 100 000€ a year will be posted publicly online (with an option to opt-out).