“X,” the social media platform formerly known as ‘Twitter,’ has changed its privacy policy, noting that the platform may collect users’ “biometric information” with their consent “for safety, security, and identification purposes.”
This change comes after the filing in July of a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that X has violated Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act. However, it doesn’t appear to be meant as a legal cover in light of that piece of litigation. Instead, it’s confirmation of an independent app researcher’s recent posting of documentation suggesting that X will implement a selfie-based identity verification feature for subscribers.
In a statement, X explained that premium users will have the option of uploading a selfie image along with a photo of government ID, using biometric facial recognition to match them together and verify the user’s identity. This solution would appear to be offered by Au10tix, the identity verification vendor named in a screenshot shared by app researcher Nima Owji.
“This will additionally help us tie, for those who choose, an account to a real person by processing their government-issued ID,” the company said. “This will also help X fight impersonation attempts and make the platform more secure.”
X’s updated privacy policy also advises users that the company “may collect and use your personal information (such as your employment history, educational history, employment preferences, skills and abilities, job search activity and engagement, and so on) to recommend potential jobs for you, to share with potential employers when you apply for a job, to enable employers to find potential candidates, and to show you more relevant advertising.” Additionally, company owner Elon Musk stated that the platform would eventually allow users to make audio and video calls without having to share their phone number. All of this suggests that the company’s management is actively working to make it into the “everything app” that Musk has aimed to realize.
Musk has also been signaling a desire to fight against non-human bots on the platform since before he bought it, proclaiming in April of last year that he would seek to “authenticate all humans” on the platform, though he didn’t offer specifics at the time.
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August 31, 2023 – by Alex Perala
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