Inundated with changes since Elon Musk’s takeover as CEO, Twitter – now rebranded as just X – will be sparking reaction online and offline as it was announced that users will need to disclose their biometric information and employment history.
Elon Musk’s company did not wish to say the extent of plans to transform the way data is managed and what new data will be required for verification. Seemingly ditching passwords to adopt multi-factor authentication with fingerprints or facial recognition scan, more personal data will be obtained than knowing the basic name and age identifiers allowed in the past to create social accounts on X.
Twitter confirmed it could not override user consent, but will begin “collecting” and “using” user biometric data to bolster its security against bots and verify users. In the brief statement, the policy change did not share how personal information will be used or stored.
Indicating that Twitter, or X, could venture into helping people find jobs like LinkedIn, this could be a credible motive behind the latest change in Twitter’s business management. The Blue Tick verification is currently used as visible proof of authorised users on Twitter which various national news outlets that have reported the story have said was undertaking tests to approve the tickets with selfie recognition and proof of a government issued ID. The revamped Blue Tick allegedly flouted privacy rules.
The updated privacy policy is for users registered to its subscription service, X Premium.
The statement said: “We 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.”
Twitter has been a project of a passion and then a loathed undertaking which he also suggested reselling. The big policy changes have certainly attracted attention and promoted X which could be his main goal in generating targeted marketing campaigns, but with fraud not prevailing for any section of the internet, cybersecurity could be Musk’s temporary fix as Twitter’s current CEO.
Last year there were attempts by some of his own staff to whistleblow his abrupt and unruly changes to policy that they alleged bypassed the company’s standard procedures on data privacy and Elon Musk is seen as a figure that will monetise what he can. Musk’s legal department was accused of asking engineers to “self-certify” compliance with the FTC regulations.
His reasons for “addressing security” matters by imposing caps on viewing 600 posts were quickly shot down to be a cover for Musk somehow wanting to, once again, pull the strings of making huge changes at Twitter – this time to Blue Tick subscriptions. He blamed the prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) now in every business, risking more “data scrapping” behaviour.
He restricted the vast majority of X’s users to having paid subscriptions on the platform, limiting unpaid users to viewing 600 posts a day which was later increased slightly to 1000.
