Direct File has been open sourced, and its creators have left government to continue working on the "future of tax filing."

The IRS open sourced much of its incredibly popular Direct File software as the future of the free tax filing program is at risk of being killed by Intuit’s lobbyists and Donald Trump’s megabill. Meanwhile, several top developers who worked on the software have left the government and joined a project to explore the “future of tax filing” in the private sector.

Direct File is a piece of software created by developers at the US Digital Service and 18F, the former of which became DOGE and is now unrecognizable, and the latter of which was killed by DOGE. Direct File has been called a “free, easy, and trustworthy” piece of software that made tax filing “more efficient.” About 300,000 people used it last year as part of a limited pilot program, and those who did gave it incredibly positive reviews, according to reporting by Federal News Network.

But because it is free and because it is an example of government working, Direct File and the IRS’s Free File program more broadly have been the subject of years of lobbying efforts by financial technology giants like Intuit, which makes TurboTax. DOGE sought to kill Direct File, and currently, there is language in Trump’s massive budget reconciliation bill that would kill Direct File. Experts say that “ending [the] Direct File program is a gift to the tax-prep industry that will cost taxpayers time and money.”

      • setVeryLoud(true);@lemmy.ca
        12·
        1 day ago

        Indeed it is, but I’m concerned about the above, and thus don’t create user accounts willy nilly.

        I could use a fake name and fake email, but a lot of sites require that you validate your phone number too, and it’s starting to become a lot of commodifiable data points.

        • NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip
          2·
          1 day ago

          … Have you tried? Been a minute since I signed up for my free “account” but I want to say the only requirement was that the email is a real one because you’ll be sent an auth link whenever you login. No identification beyond that unless I choose to pay.

          So… if you are truly concerned then use a VPN and a free email service every time you want to read this or any other independent media sites that use the same model?

          • setVeryLoud(true);@lemmy.ca
            12·
            1 day ago

            I’m not talking about this website specifically, a lot of sites ask for way too much info.

            I just click away when I see a login wall, regardless of requirements. If I really want to read it, I use 12ft.io or similar.

            Edit: Here’s a wall-less link: https://archive.ph/mFHH8

            I really don’t feel like setting up an alt email address just to read a single article.