X Updates Privacy Policy to Let Outside AI Firms Train on User Posts
X quietly updates its privacy policy to permit third-party AI companies to train their models on user data unless users explicitly opt out. The change suggests X is exploring data licensing as a new revenue stream, similar to Reddit and other platforms.
X updates its Privacy Policy to allow third-party collaborators to train artificial intelligence models on user posts unless users explicitly opt out. This change indicates that the social network is exploring data licensing as a potential new revenue stream, following a similar path to Reddit and various media organizations. Previously, X only used its data to train xAI's Grok chatbot, a practice that currently faces an investigation by the EU's lead privacy regulator.
The updated policy adds a new paragraph under the "Sharing Information" section that explains how outside recipients might use shared data for their own independent purposes. While the policy directs users to the settings page to opt out, it does not currently specify exactly where to find this toggle. The existing "Privacy and safety" settings only contain toggles for xAI's Grok and general business partners, suggesting the specific opt-out option for third-party AI trainers will likely appear before the policy takes effect on November 15.
In addition to the new data-sharing rules, X removes a previous guarantee that it keeps personally identifiable data for a maximum of 18 months. Instead, the company now states that it retains different types of information for varying periods of time depending on business needs, legal requirements, and security reasons. Specifically, X notes that it keeps usage information, including the content users post and their interactions with others, for the entire duration of their accounts.