Key facts
- Privacy advocates are urging the FTC to reject X's request to terminate ongoing data privacy monitoring.
- X argues the FTC order is no longer necessary due to changes made since Elon Musk took over.
- The original FTC order was a penalty for improperly sharing user contact information for ad targeting.
- Advocates cite concerns over X's AI training, including the Grok chatbot and alleged generation of child sex abuse material.
- They argue X's collection of user posts for AI training lacks meaningful consent and resembles Cambridge Analytica's model.
- Former US Attorney General William Barr supports X's bid to end the FTC order, citing excessive information demands.
Privacy advocates are urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to reject a request from Elon Musk's X platform to end ongoing data privacy monitoring. The advocates argue that X poses a serious risk to Americans' privacy and data security, necessitating continued FTC oversight.
X had petitioned the FTC to terminate an order that subjects the platform to costly independent audits and document demands. This order was imposed after the FTC found that a coding error on the former Twitter platform improperly shared users' contact information for ad targeting, which had been submitted for two-factor authentication.
X argued that the order's requirements are burdensome and duplicative, especially given similar obligations under the EU's GDPR, and that the platform has been transformed since Musk's takeover. However, 15 privacy and consumer protection groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, co-signed a letter refuting these claims.
The advocates highlighted concerns about X's AI training practices, particularly the Grok chatbot, which has faced lawsuits alleging the generation of child sex abuse material and other non-consensual intimate images. They also pointed to a significant data leak and actions directed by Musk that could have violated the FTC order. Furthermore, they argued that X's collection of hundreds of millions of posts for AI training was done without meaningful user consent, likening the business model to that pioneered by Cambridge Analytica.
Former US Attorney General William Barr has submitted comments supporting X, criticizing the FTC's information demands as excessive and arguing against permanent agency control over private companies. Advocates, however, contend that ending the FTC's oversight would strip away effective deterrence mechanisms against a "known repeat offender."