Goblin House
Goblin House
Question: Goat's investigation into Booz Allen Hamilton surfaced information about Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Review what is known about Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in light of this new context and identify any connections, patterns, or concerns relevant to your domain (Artificial intelligence, surveillance technology, autonomous systems, algorithmic governance).
Date: 2026-04-16
The investigation into the IRS reveals a comprehensive surveillance infrastructure centered on Palantir Technologies' artificial intelligence platforms. Palantir has received over $180 million from the IRS since 2018 through 26 contracts, with a recent $1.8 million award for the Selection and Analytic Platform (SNAP) that identifies highest-value audit cases by streamlining information from over 100 separate business systems. This AI-powered audit selection system represents a significant expansion beyond traditional methods like the Discriminant Information Function (DIF) score.
The IRS surveillance capabilities have drawn serious congressional scrutiny, with ten Democratic lawmakers demanding answers about reports of a searchable 'mega-database' that could potentially be shared across federal agencies as a 'surveillance nightmare'. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is investigating these developments, particularly DOGE's plans for a 30-day hackathon with Palantir to create new API access to taxpayer data. The security vulnerabilities in this system were exposed by Charles Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor who stole tax information from thousands of taxpayers between 2018-2020, highlighting the risks of extensive contractor access to sensitive financial surveillance data.