Wall Street Journal: State agencies mining for info in social networking sites

[Jillian Slack]

Wow! Yet another way for "big brother" to watch us and crack down on us.

If you're behind on taxes, read up.

I guess the authorities could also use these methods to try and figure out if we should be audited. Like if we're claiming all kinds of success online, but they take a look at a tax return and it doesn't reflect the same success.

Guess it's just part of being easier to find and sharing info online.

Is 'Friending' in Your Future? Better Pay Your Taxes First - WSJ.com

Interesting tidbits from the article:

Now, when a tax dodger can't be found, said Nebraska tax official Steven Schroeder, agents often turn to Google.

There are limits to what state agents can do on the Web. In Nebraska, agents are only allowed to use information that is publicly available online. So, MySpace -- owned by News Corp., publisher of The Wall Street Journal -- tends to work best because its users often post more public information than do those of sites like Facebook, Mr. Schroeder said. The default settings for adults on MySpace create a public profile, while the default settings on Facebook create a profile only viewable by an approved list of friends.

A Minnesota tax official said that when firms try to negotiate payments by claiming to be strapped for cash, agents always check their Web sites. At the time one tanning business was crying poverty to the state, agents pointed out that its site boasted of supplying all the tans for participants in a big body-building contest.

Jill