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title: How the IRS Could Better Protect Your Tax Data
description: Protecting your data on tax day, why computers won&#x27;t replace human spies, the fearing monopolies and more.
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author: TIME
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article:published_time: 2016-04-18T16:01:11.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:06.433Z
article:section: Ideas
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# How the IRS Could Better Protect Your Tax Data

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by 

[The Aspen Institute](https://time.com/author/the-aspen-institute/)


## The Aspen Institute


Apr 18, 2016 4:01 PM UTC

by 

[The Aspen Institute](https://time.com/author/the-aspen-institute/)


## The Aspen Institute


Apr 18, 2016 4:01 PM UTC

**1\.** [**Today’s tax day. The IRS should do more to protect all that data.**](http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/13/opinions/is-data-you-send-to-irs-secure-opinion-schneier/index.html)

By Bruce Schneier at CNN

**2\.** [**Computers are getting smarter. Here’s why they still can’t replace human spies.**](http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2016/04/14/why-computers-may-never-replace-human-spies/)

By Peter Apps at Reuters

**3\.** [**Both political parties agree: This is the most important economic issue everyone is ignoring.**](https://newrepublic.com/article/131412/important-2016-issue-dont-know)

By David Dayen in the New Republic

**4\.** [**Corrupt business practices persist because they work, right? Wrong.**](http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2016/0417/The-payoff-in-not-paying-off-an-official)

By the Editorial Board of the Christian Science Monitor

**5\.** [**Put away the laptop: You remember more when you take notes by hand.**](http://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away)

By James Doubek at NPR

![The Aspen Institute logo next to text: “The Five Best Ideas Today is produced jointly by TIME and The Aspen Ideas Institute”](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf784fa5d1d2a824e/69869105f983e74bc304dfdf/aspen6.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

[_The Aspen Institute_](http://www.aspeninstitute.org/) _is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C._

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