LONDON: X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, said it will collect biometric data from its users in an update to its privacy policy.
“Based on your consent, we may collect and use your biometric information for safety, security and identification purposes,” the company said.
X did not specify what biometric information would be collected but the term typically refers to a person’s physical features, such as their face or fingerprints.
The new policy applies only to X Premium users, who also have the option to submit their government ID and a selfie to add an extra layer of verification.
“Biometric data may be extracted from both the government ID and the selfie image for matching purposes,” the company said.
“This will additionally help us tie, for those that choose, an account to a real person by processing their government-issued ID. This will also help X fight impersonation attempts and make the platform more secure.”
As well as biometric information, X said it might collect users’ employment and education history.
The BBC reported that there had been speculation about the company offering recruitment services, adding that X Corp. in May acquired the tech jobs platform Laskie.
The update policy states that: “We may collect and use your personal information (such as your employment history, educational history, employment preferences, skills and abilities, job search activity and engagement, and so on) to recommend potential jobs for you, to share with potential employers when you apply for a job, to enable employers to find potential candidates, and to show you more relevant advertising.”
The changes will take effect on Sept. 29.
The news comes just days after X owner Elon Musk announced that the company was preparing to introduce a voice and video call feature that would be available across different devices.
Experts said the move was part of Musk’s plan to transform X into a multi-use app.
