ATO launches voice authentication
The ATO says that they need to ask the caller to verify their identity in about 75% of the 8 million calls it receives each year.
Australians contacting the ATO by phone will now be given the choice to record a short “voiceprint” that can be used to verify their identity for future calls.
A voiceprint is a digital representation of the sound, rhythm, physical characteristics and patterns in a voice.
The ATO believes that this will provide a more secure, more convenient call experience and will speed up the authentication process, therefore reducing the time taxpayers need to spend on the phone to the ATO.