Voice records of more than five million customers were obtained unlawfully by the taxman in major breach of privacy law as HM Revenue and Customs is forced to delete the files HMRC failed to alert callers they were being signed up to voice verification Information Commissioner’s Office ruled it was a major breach of privacy law The data 'was stored in the UK and not shared with any other organisations'
By Victoria Bischoff Money Mail Editor For The Daily Mail
Published: 01:35 BST, 4 May 2019 | Updated: 01:35 BST, 4 May 2019
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Voice records for more than five million taxpayers were obtained unlawfully by the taxman, a watchdog has ruled.
HM Revenue & Customs failed to properly alert callers they were being signed up to a service that would use their voice to verify their identity when making an inquiry.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) ruled this was a major breach of privacy law. HMRC will be served a final enforcement notice next week, giving the taxman 28 days from that date to delete the records.
Voice recognition software replaces the need for passwords and is thought to be more secure.
