1y ago

X plans to collect biometric information, job, education history for safety, security, and identification purposes.

thehackernews.com X (Twitter) to Collect Biometric Data from Premium Users to Combat Impersonation

X Corp (formerly Twitter) has updated its privacy policy to collect biometric data from premium users to prevent fraud and impersonation.

"Based on your consent, we may collect and use your biometric information for safety, security, and identification purposes," The revised policy of X(Twitter) is expected to go into effect on September 29, 2023.

The thing is, biometric data is permanent and can't be changed. If we share that with X, it could mean lifelong privacy risks. And seriously, I can't think of a single reason why Elon needs to know where I went to high school for data security purposes.

People keep talking about leaving Twitter, but when will they actually do that? I guess they'll just keep putting up with it, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

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Just for you guys to know, a Saudi teacher got death sentence over tweets, cuz it is linked to his identity, and now Elon even wants more specific data from users? People need to give up on Twitter!
- Apparently, Elon did not get any lesson from the Saudi man’s death at all. Its so important for people to remain anonymous in the digital world.
  Try this, I found people talking about this on Lemmy: https://www.alchemy.com/dapps/wiremin
  So I downloaded, and from my experience so far on this decentralized social network, it has the ability to replace Twitter for those who care about privacy and are concerned with data breaches.
  Using an Anonymous ID, it does not require either an email or a phone number when creating accounts.
  It is decentralized, with no central cloud server to store our data.
  There is no censorship; no one can ban your account or remove your content.
  It connects the world widely, so no single country, government, or person can manipulate the content we see.
  The feed/chat space, DMs, voice calls, and fast file/pic transfers are all end-to-end encrypted.
  
  The saudi rulers are Elon's friends. There is nothing there for him to learn from.
  
  No censorship / unable to delete content? What happens when somebody decides to post illegal content like CP? I know that's an easy target, but either it has a way to deal with that, or it's going to attract a very scary crowd, at least as a subset.
  
  Wiremin is closed source. Why would anyone use that over mastodon?
  
  There's also mastodon and its part of the fediverse
- Part of the problem is...people were suspended FOR NO REASON & now their data is not recoverable + they can't delete their accounts.
  They (I) are basically trapped.
  (unless you live in a country that offers "user protections"...what a concept.)
  
  I can practically hear the EU salivating.

For safety, security purpose??? Bullshit
- For safety and security of dictators around the the world, so its easier for them to identify critiques.
- Security is what pretty much all companies use when collecting data. It's designed to stop you dead. Many people have been conditioned to see "security" as necessary.
  Calls may be recorded for security and training purposes.
- Think of the children

That's not all. The company has further outlined in its upcoming privacy policy it "may use the information we collect and publicly available information to help train our machine learning or artificial intelligence models."
All artists better get the fuck off that plattform. I doubt he will stop at text.
- I imagine that's going to be policy of most commercial online platforms going forward if the AI boom continues.
  User pressure might keep it away from dedicated art sharing platforms, but general purpose social media will end up open season as a source of training data.
  
  It already has. That’s why Twitter and reddit have tightened their API policies and locked down websites for non-signed in users. Not to prevent AI training… just so they can charge for it.

"Safety, security"
- Are you trying to summon Louis Rossmann?
  
  They might also be going for the Lockpicking Lawyer.
  
  Correct 🙃
- This is a great new idiot test. Anyone who buys Musk’s reasoning is so stupid or dishonest that they can’t be trusted with anything.
  
  It's gotten to the point that I question anyone who links to Twitter now or has an account. Like why? Why not leave already?

This increasing interest in biometric data, not just from "X", is concerning to say the least
- Just put one of your left foot fingers. Fuck'em

Bless, they're always thinking about our safety.

Ahh yes, the company owned by Elon Musk, who famously called a diver a "pedophile" for criticizing his coffin submarine idea to rescue some kids. He's also slashed budgets and cut manpower in all the important departments at twitter. That's the person I'm most likely to trust with my personal information.

How exactly do they plan to collect biometric data? In most platforms biometric data remains on device.
Perhaps Elmo will try spinning some sort of WorldCoin style biometric crypto scheme next.
- They'll simply ask for it and people will give it in order to keep using the platform.
  Google Ads asked me (a private individual) to provide my drivers license or passport in order to verify an organization's Google Ads account, or else the account will be suspended. I understand verifying the organization via governed registration records, that makes sense. But requiring an emoloyee or volunteer's passport?
  The account is just going to get suspended.
- If there's a photo of you anywhere on The-Platform-Formerly-Known-As-Twitter, then that's it. That's biometric data.
  People have this weird idea that "biometric data" needs some special scanning process like in movies. As if some green laser needs to sweep across your body to "collect" biometric data.
  A photo is all that's needed. That's it.
  You read these articles that talk about "the dangers of biometrics" (in the context of facial recognition) and they often cite that the database can be hacked and people's biometric data will get stolen.
  That's not a concern. Every system that captures biometric data for later use is completely different than the next system. It would be like trying to run an Android app on an iPhone.
  Actually, it's very much like the pre-IBM days. There were many different computer systems that weren't compatible with each other. Biometrics is like that, but 100 times more incompatible. Each system needs a ground truth photo to generate the model/template/biometric data.
  So I'll say it again, if there's a photo of you on Former-Twitter, even a profile photo, they have your biometrics.

The issue here isn't that Elon wants your biometric data.
The issue is that there will be a bunch of absolute idiots who freely give him their data.
- The issue here isn’t that Elon wants your biometric data.
  No, that is the issue. Everyone can decide if they want to or not. I assume that most here are smart enough not to.
  The issue is that there will be a bunch of absolute idiots who freely give him their data.
  If people want to give that info away, then who am I to stop them?
  
  I think it's naive to frame it as "wanting to give data" but more that they're allowing themselves to be exploited because many simply don't even know what's in the policy, there are many who concede that they can't do without the platform, and then simply folks who don't know better. I highly doubt there's any significant number of people who understand the policy and happily consent even if they could easily give up the platform instead.
  So I think they're both problems. A platform needing data beyond what's necessary to provide the service AND that most people will either concede defeat or not know better.
- Idk, sounds like victim blaming to me.
- & then "reality" will be shaped into an even more fucked up hell using that same data.
  Fuck this bullshit.
- As the news says, “Based on your consent”
  
  So long as you trust that no means no.

Why would anybody do this? To access a service so bad it keeps falling?
No thanks, dipshit

I thought a lot of people did leave Twitter. I did a few months ago.
- A large amount of people I know said that, and actually did it. For the rest, the alternatives are not big enough to farm clicks off ragebait and AI "art"

X is safe and effective?
Since Elon has been very transparent about his goal of making X the everything app, by adding all this stuff and biometrics.... For security?
What could possibly go wrong?
- He's also friends with Putin & other autocrats.
  What could go wrong?
  Oh yeah...Elon has been known to ban every antifascist. & he wants access to all of their information.

Sadly, plenty of idiots will gladly hand over whatever he wants. Even if you COULD trust that he wouldn't use your data for nefarious purposes, why would you want yet ANOTHER company to have the complete story of your life in a hackable database? Remember the Equifax data breach? Guess most people don't.
- Remember the Equifax data breach?
  Remember how we sent every C-level to prison for twenty years and fined the company out of existence? lol jk corporations are infallible and it's our fault our data was held by a private company without our consent.

Next they're gonna want blood and semen samples.
- Ooh, are they gonna come fellate me?
  
  Rub one out for Elon, and drink your verification can dear, or the smart home won't let me have my coffee.
- Big no

Well, most celebs and e-celebs should get off X pretty much immediately, because at this rate this data will inevitably gets leaked somewhere for a Blue Checkmark.
Also, impersonating celebrities? On the Internet? Who would do such a thing?
(Crypto is so dumb by the way.)

God damn.
These fucks really fucked up the internet (+ the whole society/"reality").
How do we escape this dystopia at this point?
Is it possible?

anndd profile I made in the first month of twitter being a thing is gone

I guess we're going nna keep hammering those nails into the coffin huh?
Not that im complaining. I've always hated twitter. I'll gladly watch the dumpster fire burn.

I just deleted my "X" because of this. I've been meaning for a while to get off of "X".

I read identifying purposes and thought they were doing some kind of philosophy experiment on people's online behavior and their life purposes
- Yea that’s the thing with lifelong biometric data… they could be “identifying” something else entirely at any point now or in the future.

Elon can eat my ass.
(Or maybe not.)
- Want X to have a stool sample too?

I’m so intrigued about bot biometrics data science!

Actually, given that biometric data is permanent, it should be very interesting to see the EU get its hands on this.

I read this towards the end of August. I finally deactivated my Twitter account which has been "restricted" since April. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Don't have a Twitter account will never have a Twitter account.

That’s just the price of the internet these days. Gotta click “Accept” on the terms and conditions. Gotta spit into the cup for the DNA tracking. Gotta take a selfie with a drivers license. Gotta send a certified letter from your home address after it’s been notorized by a notary. Gotta send in your social security card so it can be analysed and mailed back to you. Gotta get a full blood panel and dental records sent in for verification. Gotta take a photo of yourself nude and send it into the US copyright office. Gotta install the eye tracking software with the penile insert peripheral when it arrives.
But you know, it’s worth it if I get to send 1000 characters of non-elon-related-text on X.

Stop give this platform visibility on lemmy, remove big tech ads from the sub
- And bury our heads in the sand? Ignoring the situation won't help.
- Sub? That's big tech talk!

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