Treasury makes ID.me sole login for TreasuryDirect; senators demand answers

Since 28 October, ID.me, a private provider that uses facial recognition, has been the only way to log into TreasuryDirect, and senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren are asking why, given that the government's own Login.gov now holds the same certification. They also ask whether Treasury and the IRS considered letting ID.me retain biometric data for the life of an account plus 36 months and use one-to-many matching, though the letter does not say these were authorised. The case shows access to personal financial accounts becoming tied to biometric identity verification run by a private company, with oversight still unresolved.