In a significant shift, X (formerly Twitter) has updated its privacy policy to permit third-party "collaborators" to train their artificial intelligence models using data from the platform. This change, set to take effect on November 15, marks a potential new revenue stream for the social media giant.
The updated policy introduces a clause in Section 3, "Sharing Information," which outlines how user data may be shared with third parties for AI training purposes. Users will have the option to opt out of this data sharing, though the specific process for doing so remains unclear.
This move aligns X with other platforms like Reddit and various media organizations that have explored licensing data to AI companies. It also follows X owner Elon Musk's use of platform data to train xAI's Grok chatbot, which prompted an investigation by EU privacy regulators.
The policy update also modifies X's data retention practices. Previously, the platform kept profile information for the duration of an account and other personal data for up to 18 months. Now, X states it will retain different types of information for varying periods based on service needs, legal requirements, and security considerations.
Notably, X has added a "Liquidated Damages" section to its Terms of Service, imposing hefty fines on organizations that scrape excessive amounts of content. Any entity accessing over one million posts within 24 hours could face charges of $15,000 USD per million posts.
This policy shift comes at a time when X is exploring new monetization strategies amidst advertiser withdrawals and underwhelming subscription performance. The company aims to leverage its vast trove of user-generated content to attract AI developers and potentially boost its revenue.
As the AI industry continues to grow, user data becomes increasingly valuable for training sophisticated models. X's policy change reflects this trend, positioning the platform as a potential data source for AI companies while raising questions about user privacy and consent in the age of artificial intelligence.