Breaking: Elon Musk’s ‘X’ to collect biometric and employment data from users

Billionaire, Elon Musk’s platform, X, previously known as Twitter, is set to implement changes to its privacy policy, which will involve the collection of biometric data from its users, including photographs of their faces according to a Thursday update to the company’s privacy policy.

According to reports users subscribed to the X Premium service will have the option to voluntarily provide a selfie and photo ID for verification purposes. X has said the changes have not currently been implemented and will come into effect on Sept. 29.

Furthermore, the updated policy outlines X’s intention to gather information related to users’ employment and educational history. This data will be utilized to “recommend potential jobs for you” and to share with potential employers when users apply for jobs.

• “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.”

Speculation has arisen that X may be exploring the possibility of offering recruitment services, especially given its recent acquisition of a tech recruiting service called Laskie in May. This marked X Corp’s first acquisition since Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter (then known as Twitter) for $44 billion last year.

What you should know

X clarified that the collection of biometric data, which encompasses data related to a person’s physical attributes, such as facial scans or fingerprints, is exclusively for X Premium users.

The company emphasized that users will have the option to provide their government ID and a selfie for verification, with biometric data extracted from both sources for matching purposes.

This measure is aimed at enhancing platform security by combating impersonation attempts.

Elon Musk had earlier reiterated X’s plans to introduce video and audio calling features that will be compatible with iOS, Android, Mac, and PC, eliminating the need for a phone number.

He described X as the “effective global address book” but did not specify a release date for the new calling feature.

The billionaire has been hinting at competing with the LinkedIn job platform after which he said, he planned to make X the everything platform.