Effective September 29, 2023, X (the social media site formerly known as Twitter), updated its Privacy Policy to include the collection of biometric data from subscribers to X Premium, the platform’s subscription service. The policy states that X Premium subscribers can choose to upload a selfie and a government ID. Although it is not clear how X will extract biometric data from these uploads or how long it will retain the data in its systems, the platform has said that it will use the data to enhance safety, security and identity verification to address impersonations on the platform. At least for now, X’s policy regarding the collection of biometric data of users who have a basic X account is unchanged.

In addition, X will use the data it collects combined with publicly available data to train its machine learning and artificial intelligence models. Elon Musk has confirmed this update and clarified that X will not use private information, such as information obtained from users’ direct messages (DMs) on the platform.

X has also announced that it will begin collecting information about users’ educational and employment history. This data may be used to recommend employers, alert potential employers when users have applied to a new position, enable employers to find candidates for open positions, and to further personalize advertisements that users see. This announcement followed X’s plans to release new hiring features that allow Verified Organizations to post job listings on their profiles. These changes are consistent with X’s efforts to expand its services to rival platforms like LinkedIn and become a one-stop-shop for online services.