TURBO TAX WANTS TO DO MORE THAN FILE YOUR RETURN

TurboTax wants you to agree to provide details of your income and other sensitive information for purposes other than preparing and filing your tax return.

https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/03/02/079232/turbotax-and-hr-block-want-permission-to-blab-your-money-secrets

As you know, it is tax time. People have either filed their taxes or are getting ready to file. Many Americans use third parties to file their return, and TurboTax is a top choice. By paying for their services, the TurboTax software will take you through the step-by-step process of inputting your information so that you can file and process your tax return. But what you are paying for only allows TurboTax to use your financial information for the return process only. TurboTax wants to go a step further. TurboTax wants you to agree to provide details of your income and other sensitive information; and by sensitive information, we mean salary information, how much of a refund you earned, mortgage information, if you got a tax break on your student loans. But they cannot do that by you simply using their services for your return. You must consent by saying yes or no to the disclosure of the other information, which TurboTax asks for at the beginning of the return process. If you skip that question, the software asks again at the end. If you say yes, you are giving the “OK” to allow the company to use your sensitive information for purposes other than filing your tax return.

By giving TurboTax permission, they will be able to sell your information to other companies. If those companies have sibling companies, they will also provide your sensitive information to them. What you may not know is, TurboTax earns extra money by providing advertisements tailored to the tax-payer’s personal needs.

TurboTax states that giving permission is completely voluntary and by doing so, you will receive information and offers on products and services from approved third parties based upon the information you provided in your return. Remember, you are not required to consent to the release of any sensitive information. Further, if you decline to consent to the release of additional information, TurboTax will still process your return.  All you need to do is simply review and sign your return, and click “no.”