X (formerly known as Twitter) plans to collect users’ biometric data and other personal information, according to its new privacy policy that comes into effect on Sept. 29.
“Based on your consent, we may collect and use your biometric information for safety, security, and identification purposes,” X’s new privacy policy reads.
While X hasn’t revealed what biometric data it plans to harvest, this could include retina and face scans and fingerprints. X’s new policy also states that the company can use publicly available information to train its AI models. The news has fueled concerns among privacy-conscious users.
A representative of X confirmed the policy change to Bloomberg on Thursday but didn’t provide any details about the company’s plans.
X’s announcement comes days after NordVPN revealed there’s a thriving market for biometric data on the dark web.
Biometric Data and Other Personal Information
Apart from biometric data, X’s updated privacy policy also says it may collect and use data about users’ employment history and education, as well as their photos, contacts, and calendar events. This data will be used to “personalize” users’ experiences and provide “relevant” advertising and content.
“We might gather and utilize your personal details (like your work history, educational background, job preferences, skills, job search actions, and more) to suggest possible job opportunities, share with potential employers during job applications, help employers find suitable candidates, and display more fitting advertisements,” the policy explains.
“X will give the option to provide their Government ID, combined with a selfie, to add a verification layer. Biometric data may be extracted from both the Gov ID and the selfie image for matching purposes,” X told CBS MoneyWatch on Thursday. “This will additionally help us tie, for those that choose, an account to a real person by processing their Government-issued ID. This is to also help X fight impersonation attempts and make the platform more secure.”
Stackdiary developer Alex Ivanovs first spotted the update to X’s privacy policy that says it “may use the information we collect and publicly available information to help train our machine learning or artificial intelligence models…”
In response to the news, Musk tweeted, “Just public data, not DMs or anything private,” in a bid to clarify the policy. This development re-ignites questions about user privacy on the platform.
X already collects the following data; purchase and payment data, location information, inferred identity, log information, device information, and more. X claims this is necessary to “operate, improve, and personalize” its services, “foster safety and security,” and also for “research” purposes.
According to X’s current policy, this data may be shared with its affiliates, third parties, and law enforcement.
What Happens to the Data X Collects?
X’s policy states that your profile information and content will be retained as long as your account is active. Other personally identifiable information collected when you use X’s products and services is generally stored for up to 18 months. However, certain information may be kept for extended periods beyond the specified duration to comply with legal obligations or for reasons related to safety and security.
X says that it will ask for users’ consent before collecting personal information and that users can change their settings at any time to revoke or limit their consent.
“You can access it, delete it, or change your settings. Basically, you’re the boss,” the policy says.
However, some privacy advocates are skeptical about this, given X’s history of changing its policies and terms of service without adequate notice or explanation.
In July, a lawsuit filed in Cook County, Illinois, accused X of processing and storing residents’ biometric data without explicit consent.
Backlash From Users
X’s decision to collect more personal data from users has sparked a backlash. Critics have expressed concerns about how the company will protect this data. Some users have threatened to delete their X accounts or switch to alternative platforms, like Mastodon.
“Good idea to read the Twitter privacy policy, they basically get to know everything, including ‘inferred identity’ and biometrics,” an X user said in a post on Thursday.
Check out our guide to optimizing your X privacy settings to learn how to limit the data you share with the platform and other users.
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