5 ms·

H&R Block, Meta, and Google allegedly schemed to scrape taxpayer data: lawsuit

52 points by CharlesW 3y ago

gundmc 3y ago
The details of the article seem significantly less exciting and bombastic than the headline claims. If I understand correctly, H&R Block uses Google Analytics (and Meta's equivalent). That's about it?
- abirch 3y ago
  It's as if it was written by the plaintiffs' lawyers.
- jeffbee 3y ago
  You're never going to get rational discourse on this topic because people who don't know what they are talking about have poisoned the conversation by using bombastic language. E.g. "spy cam" that "scans tax documents" does not bear any resemblance to the events in question. People willingly gave their tax returns to H&R Block, who intentionally programmed their site to marshal that data into custom dimensions of Google Analytics.
- handsclean 3y ago
  Sure, and price fixing scandals are “just using email”. It’s not what they used, it’s what they did with it. In this case, what they did with it is share with Google a huge amount of extremely private, legally protected information.
  - jeffbee 3y ago
    If you and I have a legally binding contract that forbids you from sending me a certain class if information, and you then violate that agreement by sending it anyway, have you "shared" that with me, in a way that makes me your co-conspirator?
ChrisArchitect 3y ago
Some previous discussion about H&R Block + Facebook info from when the report came out months back: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33705532 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33705532
flashback2199 3y ago
The totally free tax filing websites are the sketchiest IMO. Nobody builds and runs a free tax filing service without selling your data to pay for it. But I keep using them bc I'm cheap lol
1vuio0pswjnm7 3y ago
Here is the complaint https://www.wisnerbaum.com/documents/COMPLAINT-against-Alphabet-Inc.-Google-LLC-HR-Block-Inc.-Meta-Platforms-Inc-09-27-23.pdf https://www.wisnerbaum.com/documents/COMPLAINT-against-Alpha... https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67832608/hunt-v-meta-platforms-inc/ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67832608/hunt-v-meta-pl...
altano 3y ago
The last time I looked, irs.gov e-file site used Google Analytics, so...
m463 3y ago
Tax preparers routinely ask you to upload your documents using services whose privacy policies allow, well just about anything.

52 points by CharlesW 3y ago

The details of the article seem significantly less exciting and bombastic than the headline claims. If I understand correctly, H&R Block uses Google Analytics (and Meta's equivalent). That's about it?

abirch 3y ago
It's as if it was written by the plaintiffs' lawyers.
jeffbee 3y ago
You're never going to get rational discourse on this topic because people who don't know what they are talking about have poisoned the conversation by using bombastic language. E.g. "spy cam" that "scans tax documents" does not bear any resemblance to the events in question. People willingly gave their tax returns to H&R Block, who intentionally programmed their site to marshal that data into custom dimensions of Google Analytics.
handsclean 3y ago
Sure, and price fixing scandals are “just using email”. It’s not what they used, it’s what they did with it. In this case, what they did with it is share with Google a huge amount of extremely private, legally protected information.
- jeffbee 3y ago
  If you and I have a legally binding contract that forbids you from sending me a certain class if information, and you then violate that agreement by sending it anyway, have you "shared" that with me, in a way that makes me your co-conspirator?

ChrisArchitect 3y ago

Some previous discussion about H&R Block + Facebook info from when the report came out months back: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33705532 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33705532

flashback2199 3y ago

The totally free tax filing websites are the sketchiest IMO. Nobody builds and runs a free tax filing service without selling your data to pay for it. But I keep using them bc I'm cheap lol

1vuio0pswjnm7 3y ago

Here is the complaint https://www.wisnerbaum.com/documents/COMPLAINT-against-Alphabet-Inc.-Google-LLC-HR-Block-Inc.-Meta-Platforms-Inc-09-27-23.pdf https://www.wisnerbaum.com/documents/COMPLAINT-against-Alpha... https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67832608/hunt-v-meta-platforms-inc/ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67832608/hunt-v-meta-pl...

altano 3y ago

The last time I looked, irs.gov e-file site used Google Analytics, so...

m463 3y ago

Tax preparers routinely ask you to upload your documents using services whose privacy policies allow, well just about anything.