The Treasury’s watchdog found the Internal Revenue Service could not reliably catch employees who searched the tax records of public figures, even after years of warnings.
Story Snapshot
- The Treasury Inspector General flagged 86 suspicious employee accesses involving 30 high-profile taxpayers between 2022 and 2025.
- The audit says the Internal Revenue Service lacked a mechanism to prevent or systematically detect browsing of celebrities’ accounts.
- The Government Accountability Office reports years of repeated recommendations to fix weak safeguards.
- The Internal Revenue Service says it has started improvements, but gaps remain, according to the watchdog.
What the Watchdog Found and Why It Matters
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported that Internal Revenue Service systems did not reliably prevent or flag employee browsing of tax data for public officials, business leaders, and celebrities. Investigators reviewed audit logs and identified 86 suspicious accesses tied to 52 employees and 30 taxpayers from 2022 through November 2025. The report says there were generally no extra controls for high-profile accounts. That means fame or public office did not trigger added checks to stop or detect snooping.
The watchdog also reviewed how the Internal Revenue Service handled cases once flagged. In 2025, the agency closed 122 cases of potential unauthorized access. The report found proper taxpayer notification in only about one-third of those cases, which left many people unaware that their data may have been viewed without a valid reason. The Internal Revenue Service manual defines unauthorized access as willful access or inspection without a need to know. Such acts carry criminal and civil penalties.
How We Got Here: A Pattern of Weak Controls
Congress made willful browsing of taxpayer data a crime after past scandals, and the Internal Revenue Service created a program to catch it. Still, outside reviewers have logged gaps for years. The Government Accountability Office says it has issued hundreds of recommendations since 2010 to strengthen safeguards, including better access controls and monitoring. From 2012 to 2021, the Government Accountability Office found 1,694 investigations into willful unauthorized access by employees, with about one-quarter substantiated. That history shows recurring risk inside a large, high-access agency.
The Treasury Inspector General says the agency still lacks full, systemic controls for high-profile accounts. The core tax system that many employees use did not block or auto-flag browsing tied to celebrities or top officials, according to the audit. Media reports summarizing the findings reached the same conclusion, noting improper looks at well-known taxpayers’ files between 2022 and 2025. While the Internal Revenue Service says it monitors access and warns that violations bring penalties, the audit shows the monitoring did not catch enough, soon enough.
What the Internal Revenue Service Says It Is Fixing
The Internal Revenue Service told the watchdog it is taking steps to improve protection of federal tax information. Actions include better categorizing sensitive data, limiting internal sharing, improving audit logs, disabling external storage, and strengthening encryption and staff awareness. Those steps aim to reduce casual browsing and speed detection. They also try to make it harder to copy or remove sensitive files. The watchdog says more work is still needed, especially around extra controls for known high-risk accounts.
The Internal Revenue Service policy bars employees and contractors from looking at any taxpayer account without a job-related need. It explicitly forbids browsing records of celebrities or politicians without authorization. The Treasury Inspector General investigates allegations and can refer cases to the Department of Justice. The law allows criminal charges and civil penalties for willful inspection or disclosure, and taxpayers can seek damages for violations. Even so, enforcement starts with detection, and that is where the audit found the largest gap.
Why This Hits a Nerve Across the Aisle
People on the right and left worry that powerful insiders can peek at private data without quick consequences. When a core agency cannot promptly detect suspicious searches of famous or sensitive accounts, public trust takes a hit. The risk is not only to celebrities. If insiders can browse a governor or chief executive without a solid trail, a small business owner or retiree may doubt their own privacy too. The watchdog’s findings reinforce that concern and demand visible fixes.
What to Watch Next
Watch for a clear timeline from the Internal Revenue Service to add targeted controls for high-profile accounts and to improve alerting for all accounts. Look for stronger audit logging that flags unusual search patterns, faster taxpayer notifications when cases close, and transparent reporting on outcomes. Congress and the Treasury Inspector General can track those steps. Measurable progress would help rebuild trust. Until then, the gap between rules on paper and results in practice will keep fueling doubt.
Sources:
pjmedia.com, dailycaller.com, gao.gov, tigta.gov, home.treasury.gov, wsj.com, irs.gov