X’s new privacy policy allows users to collect biometric data
Starting next month, the updated privacy policy will give Company X the right to collect biometric data on certain users and other personal information.
under revised Policywhich will take effect on September 29, Company X (formerly Twitter) may “collect and use your biometric information for safety, security, and identification purposes” as long as the user provides consent.
Biometric data collection is for X Premium users only, the company told CBS MoneyWatch when contacted for more information.
“X will offer the option to provide their government ID card, as well as a selfie, to add a layer of verification,” the company said. “Biometric data can be extracted from both the government ID card and selfie for matching purposes.” “This will additionally help us, for those who choose, associate an account with a real person through government-issued ID processing. This is also to help X combat impersonation attempts and make the platform more secure.”
The microblogging platform does not specify “biometrics” in its policy, but the term generally refers to automated technologies — including facial recognition software, fingerprinting, palm and iris scanning — used to authenticate and verify the unique human body. characteristics.
“This announcement is at least an acknowledgment that X will do what other social networks have been doing in a more discreet way,” said Stephen Wicker, a professor at Cornell University and an expert on data privacy.
X’s move to collect biometric data comes after the website earlier this year introduced an opt-in verification form that required users to provide their government-approved identification to receive a blue check mark on their account. The move is intended to curb bots and other fake accounts on the site, according to X.
The company also plans to collect information about users’ jobs and educational histories, the updated policy shows.
We may collect and use your personal information (such as employment history, educational history, employment preferences, skills and abilities, job search activity and engagement, etc.) to recommend potential jobs to 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 ads,” the policy states.
X did not say whether the policy would also eventually apply to non-paying X users or if it would include other forms of data beyond what can be collected from government ID cards. Its privacy policy also does not specify which users may or may not opt-in to the collection of biometric data.
Some users have previously objected to the data collection methods of X. a lawsuitThe lawsuit, filed in July, alleges that X did not “adequately inform individuals who interacted (intentionally or not) with its[platform]and that it collects and/or stores their biometric identifiers in every photo containing a face uploaded to[the website])”. )).”
In 2021, Facebook agreed to a $650 million settlement of a privacy lawsuit for allegedly using face tags on photos and other biometric data without users’ consent.
“Ad X is an expansion of social network users’ ongoing cultivation of personal data that can be used for targeted advertising,” Wicker said, adding that such data collection “continues to be a problem for the individuals providing the data, while a source of wealth for those who take it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
