X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, has temporarily suspended the processing of personal data of users in the European Union. This decision has come after reaching an agreement with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which regulates data protection in the region.
The dispute originated when the DPC filed a complaint with the High Court of the European Union, accusing X of collecting and using personal data of European users without their consent to train its artificial intelligence (AI) model Grok. According to the DPC, this activity took place before the platform introduced a privacy option in July 2024 that allows users to decide whether to authorize the use of their data for such a purpose.
The DPC stated that millions of European users were affected by this practice, as the privacy option implemented by X did not offer an effective alternative to prevent the social network from accessing their information. This, according to the agency, represented a clear violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires explicit consent for the processing of personal data.
X denied wrongdoing and rejected initial requests from the DPC to stop processing users' personal data. In addition, the platform refused to delay the release of the next version of Grok, despite concerns expressed by the DPC.
However, after intensive negotiations with the DPC, X has agreed to suspend the processing of EU users' personal data collected between May 7 and August 1, 2024. This agreement aims to protect the rights and freedoms of European users, the DPC stated.
Infobae reported that, although this suspension represents an important step forward, the DPC will continue to closely monitor X's practices. The aim is to ensure that the platform complies with all privacy regulations in force in Europe, thus ensuring the protection of EU citizens' personal data.
