**US Tax Agency Breaches Privacy Law Thousands of Times, Judge Rules** The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States has found itself on the wrong side of the law after a federal judge ruled that it had breached confidentiality laws by sharing the personal information of thousands of taxpayers with the immigration agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The judge's decision, made public last week, comes as a result of a growing concern over the erosion of taxpayer privacy in the US. In this case, the IRS had entered into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to share taxpayer data, which has raised eyebrows among rights advocates who fear that the information could be used to target immigrants in the country. According to the ruling, the IRS had shared the tax information of approximately 47,000 individuals with ICE, in violation of the strict confidentiality laws that govern the agency's operations. The IRS Code 6103, which prohibits the disclosure of tax return information without consent, was breached in this instance. The judge's finding is based on a declaration by Dottie Romo, the chief risk and control officer for the IRS, who revealed that the agency had given ICE additional address information in many cases, in clear contravention of the laws designed to protect taxpayer data. This case has significant implications for the growing movement to consolidate government data in the US. Critics argue that such an effort could lead to the erosion of taxpayer privacy and potentially be used to target vulnerable communities. The ruling is a major setback for the Trump administration's efforts to use taxpayer data for mass deportation, a key plank of its immigration policy. The Centre for Taxpayer Rights, which filed the suit against the government, has long argued that the sharing of taxpayer data without consent is a clear breach of the laws designed to protect taxpayer information. As the judge's ruling makes clear, the IRS must do more to ensure that it respects the confidentiality of taxpayer data. The government has announced its intention to appeal the ruling, but for now, the judge's decision is a major victory for taxpayer rights advocates who have been fighting to protect the confidentiality of taxpayer data.