United Kingdom, United Kingdom
HM Revenue and Customs
AI monitoring of social media in criminal tax investigations
OperationalJournalismPAI-731A8E46
- Body
- HM Revenue and Customs
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Area
- United Kingdom
- Technology
- AI monitoring of social media in criminal tax investigations
- Supplier
- Not stated in the source
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- Not known
- Legal basis
- Not stated in the source
- Oversight
- Not stated in the source
- Evidence
- Journalism
Named reporting by a reputable outlet - Source
- Scottish Financial News, 12 August 2025
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-731A8E46
Notes
Scottish Financial News reported on 12 August 2025, citing The Daily Telegraph, that HMRC confirmed it "uses artificial intelligence to analyse taxpayers' social media posts as part of criminal investigations into tax evasion", flagging people who appear to be living beyond their declared means. An HMRC spokesman is reported as saying the tools are used with "robust safeguards in place" and only to monitor social media in criminal cases. The report says the practice has been in place for several years and is used alongside HMRC's separate Connect data-analysis system. It quotes criticism from Sir John Hayes, a former security minister, and Bob Blackman MP. No tool, supplier or start date is named. Accountancy Age reported the same disclosure on the same day.