The social media platform X officially concluded the investigation after agreeing to meet the compliance requirements set by the European Data Protection Commission (DPC).
EU Data Erasure
On Sept. 4, the social media platform agreed to cease using personal data from users located within the European Union and European Economic Area (EEA) to train its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok. Conditions from the court required Twitter International Unlimited Company, the entity behind X's operations, to comply with data collection requests permanently. X promised to erase the previous data from May 7 to Aug. 1 and agreed not to collect any further data for developing, enhancing, or training Grok. The initial complaint was filed by the DPC, citing a risk to the 'fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals.' DPC Commissioner Des Hogan stated that they 'welcomed' the outcome as it protects the rights of EU/EEA citizens. When the complaint was initially filed, Hogan also commented on the DPC's role in citizen data protection.
X's Global Battles
The case against the DPC is not the only battle X is currently facing. On Aug. 30, regulators in Brazil suspended the platform after its owner Elon Musk refused to name a legal representative for the firm in the country. The Brazilian Supreme Court upheld the decision on Sept. 2 in a unanimous verdict by five justices. Musk hinted to X users in Brazil that they should defy the judge's ruling against using VPNs to access the platform despite the potential fines. He also criticized Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, accusing him of 'political censorship' on X.
Implications for Users
EU user data will be deleted, and X will cease using it for AI training. This decision came after a DPC complaint and confirmed court ruling of fundamental rights violations. Users in Brazil may face legal consequences for accessing the platform via VPN.
The resolution of the DPC cases and regulations in Brazil highlights the importance of complying with data protection norms and user rights across various jurisdictions, which may have long-term implications for social media platforms.
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