X’s New Privacy Policy and TOS Allow AI Bots to Use Your Data

Elon Musk's social media platform X silently updated its policies allowing user data for AI training by bots and third parties.

Elon Musk´s social media platform X has quietly changed its privacy policy and terms of service (TOS), allowing AI bots and third-party collaborators to use user data for AI training. The update, which takes effect on November 15, 2024, could lead to user data being licensed to external AI companies, all while offering little clarity on how users can opt out.

AI Bots Gain Data Access Rights

X has introduced a new clause under “third-party collaborators” in its privacy policy. This section opens up user data to AI bots, letting them access information to develop and improve AI models. The change places X in line with other platforms like Reddit, which have also begun licensing data to AI developers.

What sets X’s approach apart, though, is the lack of a clear way for users to opt out of this data-sharing agreement—at least as things stand now. Of course, this has not gone down well with users and commentators. NPR tech correspondent Bobby Allyn reflected the concern in a post on X.

Currently, X’s settings page provides options for controlling data shared with the platform’s own AI, Grok, but does not include tools for preventing external bots from mining user data. The policy’s vague language leaves room for future adjustments, but at the moment, users are left in the dark about how to prevent this sharing.

More than Just Data: Scrapers Face Penalties

Beyond just opening the door for AI bot access, X is cracking down on another form of data collection—scraping. Under the updated TOS, scraping one million or more posts in a 24-hour period will result in a $15,000 penalty.

A harsher stance follows previous moves by Elon Musk to block access to data scrapers, including limiting public access to tweets and placing X’s API behind a paywall. The tougher rules reflect X’s ongoing battle to control its data while also monetizing it through external licensing.

Monetizing Data via AI Bots

For X, the inclusion of bots in this data-sharing agreement signals an effort to unlock new revenue streams by selling access to its vast reserves of user-generated content. AI companies need vast datasets for their bots to learn from, and X’s treasure trove of data could be a goldmine for these firms. With advertisers pulling back, this shift might help X bridge the gap through paid collaborations with AI developers.

As the policy prepares to take effect, users are left with more questions than answers about how their data will be used and how they can opt out, raising concerns about data control in an era where AI development is booming.

Last Updated on November 7, 2024 2:28 pm CET

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Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about Microsoft and the wider tech industry for over 10 years. With a degree in creative and professional writing, Luke looks for the interesting spin when covering AI, Windows, Xbox, and more.

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