FTC asks for public comments on X request to end privacy audits

In short: The FTC is collecting public comments after X asked to end a 20-year privacy order that requires regular audits of how it handles user data.

What happened

The US Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, is asking the public to comment on a request from X Corp. to end or change an FTC privacy order. That order was put in place shortly before Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, and it runs until 2042.

The order came after Twitter said a coding error let the company use phone numbers and email addresses, which people provided for two-factor authentication (a login safety step, like a second lock on your door), for targeted ads. Twitter agreed to pay $150 million and to accept outside audits and FTC oversight.

Musk tried to get the order thrown out in 2023 and lost in court. He is now arguing again, including that Twitter no longer exists because X was merged into xAI, and later tied into SpaceX. X also says the people involved in the old mistake are gone, that it has improved its privacy program, and that the monitoring costs are too high.

The FTC opened a public comment period that runs until July 2. Early comments are mostly urging the FTC to deny X’s request. Some commenters say the order matters even more now, especially if user data could be used to train AI systems (teaching software by feeding it lots of examples, like practice drills).

Why it matters

This decision affects how closely the government can watch a major social platform’s handling of personal information. For regular users, it is about whether phone numbers, emails, and other data stay protected, and whether there are consequences if a company changes its privacy practices later.

Source: Arstechnica