H&R Block comes under fire.

• Position: Privacy

A bevy of consumer groups recently filed complaints with the Treasury Department, accusing H&R Block with the misuse of taxpayer financial data.

The charges stem from use of a free H&R Block tax service--"Free File"--through the IRS website.

Users of this service are hit with pop-up ads specifically tailored to their tax return information.

In their complaint, the groups, led by the publisher of...