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Elon Musk’s big push to make Twitter into an “everything app” like the China-centric WeChat is taking the app down the rabbit hole of dubious data collection. This week, the company modified its privacy policy to include provisions for “Biometric Information” and “Job Applications/Recommendations.”
Twitter—the name we will continue to use despite Musk’s insistence to the contrary—says that “based on your consent” the site may collect their biometric ID for “safety, security, and identification purposes.” The site offers no more details about what biometric data it’s looking for, and Twitter did not respond to Gizmodo’s request for clarification.
More than likely, this seems to be Twitter’s attempt to add another layer of verification on top of its $8 blue checkmark subscription. Recently, X was testing user verification using a government ID. As detailed by an app researcher, the consent form for that verification also included an agreement for Twitter to store their biometric data “for up to 30 days.” This ID included a live selfie, AKA a face scan, which would be sent to a third-party company.
Twitter wouldn’t be the only company to mandate biometric data in exchange for verification. Meta’s Instagram implemented a selfie-based age verification system last year for U.K.-based users. Both Facebook and Instagram have their own blue checkmark verification schemes, which require that users hand Meta over a government ID and pay to get extra impersonation protection.
And Twitter now wants to gather users’ employment history, educational history, and job search history” to “recommend potential jobs to you.” Otherwise, the site says it will share all this information with whichever employer users are applying to. It’s unclear whether Twitter will also be sharing users’ posting history or more information with potential employers, but Musk does seem to want Twitter to become the next LinkedIn.
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