“The personal data processed by this X subcontractor includes data of a sovereign nature. An identity document is a sensitive document. This raises a number of questions…”
In late May, online influencers who produce revenue-generating content on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, received notifications that they will have to pass identity verification checks by July 1. Those checks require users to take a selfie and a photograph of a government-issued ID. Failure to do this will mean they will no longer continue receiving income from the platform. According to some sources, content producers that have not yet provided the requested photos are already being locked out of their accounts.
Here’s a screenshot of the automated message sent to users with creator subscriptions and ads revenue share programs, courtesy of the user known as Censored Men:
Naturally, many users are up in arms about this new condition, particularly those with liberal (in the classic sense) sensibilities. After all, Elon Musk himself posted a tweet in July 2023 stating that his X platform would protect anonymous users, or “anons” as he called them.
There is a very important lesson in all this — one that Yves flagged up in her 2021 post, If Your Business Depends on a Platform, You Don’t Have a Business:
[I]t’s all well and good to want to be the creative person and not be bogged down with having to deal with the business side of publishing (and trust me, I do not like administrativa). However, when you choose to hand off the tech and monetization activities to the suits, you are at their mercy.
Sensitive and “Sovereign” Data
Users’ concerns on Twitter/X were further magnified when they learnt that the company that would be handling the face biometrics matching is AU10TIX, an Israeli firm with deep ties to the country’s intelligence agencies. It is also a big global player in the fast-emerging digital identity industry. In a 2023 article, the company identified lack of public awareness and trust and concerns about security and privacy as major obstacles to the mass roll out of digital IDs. In response, the article said, “governments and organizations must prioritize educating the public about the benefits, security measures, and safeguards associated with digital identities.”
In other words, not only will X’s premium users have to give up their biometric details and a government-issued ID number in order to be able to continue generating an income stream on the platform, the company to which they will be entrusting that sensitive data is deeply embedded within Israel’s intelligence security complex. This is particularly worrisome for users living in Arabic countries with strained relations with Israel, reports the Lebanese newspaper L’Orient Today…
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Nick Corbishley 