Safety

FTC urged to reject X's bid to end data audits

Privacy advocates warn FTC to maintain oversight of Musk's X amid concerns over data handling and AI training practices.

Dramatic scene of an adult man in a hoodie using a computer, surrounded by smoke in a dimly lit room.

Photo: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels

Ahead of a July 2 deadline to submit public comments, privacy advocates are urging the Federal Trade Commission to maintain its oversight of Elon Musk’s X platform. They argue that the FTC must reject X’s recent request to end ongoing audits of the platform’s data handling practices. The FTC initially imposed the audit order after finding that a coding error caused Twitter to improperly share users’ contact information for ad targeting. The order requires costly independent audits and allows the FTC to demand documents to ensure compliance with data privacy laws.

X claims the order is burdensome and should be terminated, citing its rebranding and similar obligations under the European Union’s GDPR. However, 15 privacy advocates have refuted these claims, warning that X’s changes have raised new concerns about data handling and privacy risks. They argue that the FTC’s oversight is critical to protecting American users from potential violations of data privacy laws. X’s AI training and tools raise red flags, with advocates citing global backlash to Grok, a chatbot linked to the generation of child sex abuse materials and non-consensual intimate images. They also highlighted the 2.8 billion records leaked from the platform last year, while Musk was focused on DOGE-related efforts.

The advocates emphasized that the FTC had already found that Musk had directed employees to take actions that would have violated the order. X’s controversial decision to collect hundreds of millions of posts for AI training without explicit user consent has further fueled concerns. According to Cambridge Analytica, X’s AI training model is identical to the business model behind one of the biggest data scandals in history. The firm noted that Musk’s approach to data collection is transparent but lacks meaningful user consent, with 73 percent of users unaware their tweets were used to train Grok.

Advocates warned that giving in to Musk’s demand would effectively strip away the FTC’s most effective deterrence and accountability mechanisms. They also argued that the GDPR is not a substitute for FTC monitoring, as X is currently under investigation for unauthorized data collection in Europe.

Source: arstechnica

Key points

Advocates urge the FTC to reject X’s bid to end data audits due to privacy risks.
FTC initially imposed audits after finding a coding error caused improper sharing of users’ contact information for ad targeting.
X claims the order is burdensome and should be terminated, citing rebranding and GDPR obligations.
Advocates argue X’s changes have raised new data handling concerns and not a reason to end oversight.
Grok, X’s AI chatbot, has faced global backlash for generating child sex abuse materials and non-consensual intimate images.
2.8 billion records were leaked from the platform last year, while Musk was focused on DOGE efforts.
X’s decision to collect hundreds of millions of posts for AI training without explicit user consent has raised concerns.

Source: Ars Technica Read the original →

WRITTEN BY

Nadia Rahman

AI Safety, Alignment & Policy

Nadia follows AI safety, alignment, regulation, and the policy debates shaping the field.