Since day one of his reign at the Twitter HQs, to the rebranding of the app as X, Elon Musk has rolled out (and back) a slew of features. Every single one of them has been contentious, from subscription pricing to verified badges. A few that had the right wing excited include payment for creators on the platform with millions of views.
While pitching to buy the app, Musk’s rallying call was getting rid of the bots on the platform. Ironically, his own profile, which is the most followed on the app, accounts for as many bot profiles. The billionaire boss has always been in favor of getting rid of bots and impersonators with verified profiles. His first attempt to thwart impersonation by verified profiles fell flat on his face when many parody accounts popped up on the app, many even mimicking popular brands.
Now, X has partnered with an Israeli intelligence firm, Au10tix, that will utilize AI enabled technologies for swift verification.
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The feature was leaked by app researcher Nimi Owji, on X/Twitter. The verification process allegedly involves submitting a government issued ID. The user also needs to consent to their willingness to let X retain their data, which includes biometrics like selfies, for up to 30 days for security purposes. While this is not official yet, however, community notes claim that this verification feature is only for premium users and is for now ‘optional.’
#X says, “ID verification can help protect your account against impersonation and grants your profile an ID verified label.” https://t.co/VO5noy9hw6 pic.twitter.com/VxpeNcEU0O
— Nima Owji (@nima_owji) August 22, 2023
me pulling up to the twitter id verification check https://t.co/tW12tbA83H pic.twitter.com/hVtWffWDpy
— maddie 💫 (@astralsoda) August 16, 2023
Meanwhile, the history of the Israeli firm has riled up the Internet.
Naturally AU10TIX — the Israeli tech firm @elonmusk wants to deploy for users to hand information over for verification purposes — have engineers who worked / work in Unit 8200, the intelligence unit of the Israeli Occupation Forces. pic.twitter.com/QE2wPkpx5q
— Jennine (@jennineak) August 20, 2023
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Cover Image: illustrative/ Mage(dot)Space