IT sounds like something from a spy movie, but instead of James Bond, it’s coming from the Australian Taxation Office.
Voiceprint technology is being rolled out by the tax office as a secure way to speed up its online services.
It’s the latest in a wave of hi-tech innovations at the ATO that also includes satellite technology that tracks your motor vehicle use for logbook purposes.
Voiceprints remove the need for passwords and codes, and the ATO says they contain more than 120 characteristics that you carry wherever you go.
This month the ATO introduced voice authentication on its app for smart phones and tablets, and Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan said the ATO already had 1.3 million voiceprints provided voluntarily by taxpayers over the phone.
It’s making it easier,” he said. “It’s a very high-value biometric authentication.”
Tax technology has also advanced to make it easier for Australians to find and consolidate their lost super, file tax returns online, and record their tax-deductible spending through its myDeductions tool that includes a GPS tracking function for car trips.
Original Article published in The Advertiser on 28 November 2015
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/the-ato-goes-hi-tech-to-help-taxpayers-and-catch-tax-cheats/story-fntzoymf-1227626709153