The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration today released Some Taxpayers Were Not Appropriately Notified When Their Personally Identifiable Information Was Inadvertently Disclosed (2011-40-054):

The IRS does not always promptly and properly notify taxpayers of inadvertent disclosures of their personal information. … Millions of taxpayers entrust the IRS with sensitive financial and personal data when they file their tax returns each year. TIGTA conducted an audit to determine whether the IRS promptly notifies taxpayers of inadvertent disclosure of their Personally Identifiable Information so they can take the necessary steps to protect themselves from identity theft or other harm. …  TIGTA reviewed a statistical sample of 98 case files of incidents reported as inadvertent disclosures in Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010 and found that not all taxpayers were properly or timely notified of the disclosures’ occurrence. Of those 98 case files, TIGTA found that 35 cases involved a failure to notify the taxpayer or a failure to notify the taxpayer within 45 days of the incident.

• Accounting Today, IRS Didn’t Notify Taxpayers When Their Information Was Disclosed
• Wall Street Journal, Report: IRS Didn’t Notify Some Taxpayers When Data Released