X ID verification may require selfies and photos of IDs
X, formerly known as Twitter, is working on integrating ID verification into the service. The integration appears to be a reaction to the chaos that ensued after Twitter launched Twitter Blue labels on the site.
The subscription-based service went live in November 2022. Users of the service pay Twitter $8 per month privileges on the site, including a checkmark. The system was abused as soon as it launched, as some started to rename their account names to that of celebrities or organizations.
Twitter pulled and relaunched the subscription as a consequence, and stated that it would go "after impersonation and deception" aggressively.
The new ID verification system was discovered by Nima Owji, an app researcher, who reports on unreleased X features regularly.
Owju shared a screenshot of the ID verification system on the site. The screenshot reveals that X is working on an ID verification system, how it works and the company that X is cooperating with to introduce the functionality.
According to the published screenshot, Twitter ID verification requires that users take a selfie using the device's camera and to take photos of a government-issued ID.
The process will take about 5 minutes according to Twitter and users need to consent to the storing of ID images and biometric data for up to 30 days to use it with profile data "for the purpose of safety and security, including preventing impersonation".
X is working with Au10tix, an Israel-based company. Users need to consent to X sharing ID images, including biometrical data, as well as personal profile data with the company for the purpose of confirming the identity.
Au10tix claims on its website that it is "leading the future of identity", capable of identifying people in 8 seconds automatically and running "first-of-a-kind tech detecting synthetic fraud patters globally".
X's current verification checks are still lacking, as impersonators have still found loopholes to abuse the system for their scams. Paid subscriptions on Twitter are highly sought after, as they do also increase the reach and visibility of the account.
X Blue subscribers do get additional security features as well. There is also X Gold, which is reserved for organizations. These organizations need to provide an email address of the organization's website or a government email, in the case of government organizations.
X did not confirm that it is working on an ID verification system at this point, nor when it would launch the feature. It is unclear therefor if and when it will launch, and whether all users who pay for checkmarks need to go through the verification process.
Now You: do you use Twitter? (via Engadget)
Won’t touch an Elon skuM product with a bargepole; he makes my skin crawl, and is probably happy about it. The fact that he’s made Xitter harder to access is a bonus, not a problem.
Anyone stupid enough to share biometric or other unique-ident info with companies who clearly intend to moneterize it (or worse) deserve what they get.
This move wasn’t a reaction to anything that happened since Musk purchased Twitter.
On the very first day as owner, musk as much as announced that, along with relaxing censorship, he would end anonymity on the platform.
From the beginning, getting people verified was the intent. He needed it as a prerequisite to the all encompassing “ONE” app that mirrors China’s social credit system.
Escape this dystopian hell – stick to forums and ephemereal chatrooms, and stop creating accounts for websites you normally used to only visit as a guest to read anyway.
Pseudonymity enables people to express themselves freely rather than fear every word they post will be eventually weaponized to harm their real life.
ID verification is user private data farm in disguised, please sue those companies they are gathering your face, body, birthdate… to train AI, possibly war AI.
Elon guy is sus, can’t trust him.
Social Media is a disease. A digital cancer on society.
It appears people are happy giving away their personal information. Instagram and Facebook already do this for “verification”.
@ Tachy,
But you’re interacting on this forum which itself is a form of social media. ;)
If ‘social media’ needs copies of my I.D., biometric data, etc., they need me more than I need them.
Sad news. If I had a twitter account I’d close it immediately.