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March 28, 2024

The tax filing site has reportedly been sending users’ financial information to Facebook.

According to a new report from The Markup, this data is shared through a widely used code called Meta Pixel.

These included names, email addresses, application status, refund amounts, college scholarship amounts for dependents, and information related to the user’s income, the publication said.

The Markup said the information sent to the social media giant could be used by the company in its advertising algorithms and would be collected regardless of whether people using the tax preparation service had accounts on Facebook or other Meta platforms.

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Some of the most widely used e-filing services use Pixel, including TaxAct, H&R Block, and TaxSlayer.

A review revealed that a pixel on the TaxAct website sent personal information to Facebook, including filing status, adjusted gross income and refund amounts, The Markup said.

MONTGOMERY, AL – DECEMBER 25: TaxAct before the Camellia Bowl between the Georgia Panthers and the Ball State Cardinals at the Crampton Bowl on December 25, 2021 in Montgomery, Alabama banner.
((Photo by Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))

The names of dependents are apparently also sent in the usual reversible format.

H&R Block embedded a pixel that collects information on filers’ health savings account usage and dependents’ college tuition assistance and spending, the report said.

That’s because TaxSlayer sends personal information as part of Facebook’s “advanced matching” system, including phone numbers, the user’s name, and the names of any dependents in the case of returns.

“At TaxAct, the privacy of our customers is important to all of us, and we will continue to comply with all laws and IRS regulations,” TaxAct said in an emailed statement to Fox News on Wednesday. “The data provided to Facebook was used by TaxAct to analyze the effectiveness of our ads on an aggregate level rather than on an individual level. TaxAct did not use information provided by its clients or referenced in reports published by The Markup to target Facebook ads.”

The H&R Block Inc. logo is displayed in front of the company's flagship office in New York, U.S., Friday, March 2, 2012.

The H&R Block Inc. logo is displayed in front of the company’s flagship office in New York, U.S., Friday, March 2, 2012.
(Photographer: Scott Eells/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

TaxSlayer spokesperson Molly Richardson told The Markup that it has Pixels are removed to evaluate their usenoting that Ramsey Solutions also “decided to remove the pixel.”

“Our customers’ privacy is paramount and we take our customers’ information very seriously,” she said.

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“H&R Block has removed pixels from its DIY online products to prevent the collection of any customer tax information,” H&R Block told Fox News.

As of Monday, TaxAct’s website no longer sends financial details such as income and refund amounts to Meta, but continues to send names of dependents, The Markup said.

Additionally, TaxSlayer and Ramsey Solutions have removed pixels from their tax preparation websites.

The TurboTax website on a laptop taken on Friday, September 3, 2021 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA.

The TurboTax website on a laptop taken on Friday, September 3, 2021 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA.
(Photographer: Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Ramsey Solutions told Fox News Digital that the company “implemented Meta Pixel to provide a more personalized customer experience.”

“We did not know, and were never advised, that Facebook was collecting personal tax information from Pixel,” they said. “As soon as we found out, TaxSlayer was notified to deactivate the Pixel for Ramsey SmartTax.”

According to Markup, Intuit’s TurboTax also stopped sending usernames via a pixel at login.

“Intuit does not share tax return information with social media platforms, including Meta (Facebook), for marketing or any other purpose. Meta Pixel does not track, collect, or share information that users enter into TurboTax when filing their taxes. Intuit’s use of Meta Pixel complies with Section 7216,” an Intuit spokesperson told Fox News in an email.

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Intuit says it is committed to being a responsible steward of customer data and clarifies its usage in its global privacy statement.

“In accordance with our Privacy Policy, we may share some non-tax reporting information, such as usernames, with our marketing partners to provide a better customer experience. For example, if an individual clicks on a TurboTax ad on Facebook and creates an Intuit account or signs in Meta Pixel allows us to no longer show ads to individuals within their account,” the spokesperson added. “While we have always complied with our Privacy Policy, we have modified our Meta Pixel implementation to ensure that forward usernames are not transferred.”

Fox News Digital’s request for comment from Meta was not immediately returned.



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