Photo credit: Elon Musk

Twitter, now rebranded as “X,” is in hot water for a major data breach involving over 60 million users in the EU/EEA. The company has been using this massive pool of personal data to train its AI systems, like “Grok,” without bothering to ask for consent. Unlike Meta, which recently faced backlash and halted its AI training in the EU, Twitter took a different route—one that seems to have crossed the line.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), known for its sometimes lenient stance towards tech giants, has finally taken action. Last week, the DPC launched court proceedings against Twitter to stop the illegal processing of data and enforce compliance with the GDPR. But here’s the catch: while the DPC has moved to halt further AI training with EU data, it seems to be focusing more on procedural issues rather than tackling the core problem of unauthorized data use.

Max Schrems, the Chairman of noyb (None of Your Business), has criticized the DPC for not addressing the fundamental issue—Twitter's blatant disregard for user consent. Schrems highlighted that while the DPC has paused Twitter's data processing until September, critical questions remain unanswered. For instance, what about the EU data that’s already been ingested into Twitter’s systems, and how will Twitter handle the separation of EU and non-EU data?

noyb has ramped up the pressure by filing complaints with data protection authorities in nine countries, pushing for a more rigorous investigation into Twitter’s practices. Schrems argues that Twitter could easily ask users for consent before using their data, a simple solution under GDPR that Twitter seems to have ignored.

The crux of the issue? Twitter, like Meta before it, is claiming a “legitimate interest” in using personal data without user consent—a stance that’s been rejected by courts in similar cases. Instead of adhering to GDPR requirements, Twitter appears to be more focused on its business interests, sidelining user rights in the process.

Users only discovered this data misuse through a viral post on Twitter, highlighting a troubling lack of transparency from the company. As the situation unfolds, noyb is calling for urgent action to ensure that Twitter’s AI practices comply with EU data protection laws. It’s clear that for Twitter, asking for user consent is still not on the agenda.