In a recent announcement, social network X revealed its strategic move to rival LinkedIn by introducing a comprehensive job listing platform, as highlighted by CEO Elon Musk. The company is actively gathering employment and educational background data from users, along with biometric information for reasons related to safety, security, and identification, according to an updated privacy policy reported by Bloomberg. Notably, X had previously established an official @TwitterHiring account, a development covered by TechCrunch in the previous month.
Musk expressed his reservations about LinkedIn, citing a perceived “cringe” factor associated with the platform. He shared, “Occasionally, people send me LinkedIn links, but the content sometimes feels overly contrived. Consequently, I prefer requesting resumes or bios via email. We are committed to making sure that X’s alternative to LinkedIn maintains an appealing and engaging user experience.”
Beyond the conventional data points of professional history and education, X’s data collection scope extends to biometric details, although the specific types were not disclosed. The updated privacy policy states, “With your explicit consent, we may gather and employ your biometric information to enhance safety, security, and identification measures.” Bloomberg confirmed this policy update via Twitter, albeit without further details.
Several verified organizations, including Workweek, have been granted the ability to showcase job openings through scrollable cards integrated into their profiles, as observed by TechCrunch. A screenshot shared by user Nima Owji in the previous month suggested that “Twitter [X] will facilitate verified organizations in transferring all their job listings to Twitter by seamlessly connecting a compatible ATS or XML feed.” However, these listings might be accessible only within the United States for the time being, as they remain absent on European accounts.
Elon Musk had hinted at this innovative feature back in May, and X subsequently made its inaugural acquisition under Musk’s leadership with the purchase of the job-matching technology startup, Laski. Workweek CEO Adam Ryan disclosed that the job posting functionality is included within X’s premium “$1,000 per month verified for organizations” subscription.
This job listing functionality could potentially integrate with the amassed professional history and educational data. The privacy policy outlines potential use cases: “We might leverage your personal information, encompassing work history, education, job preferences, skills, engagement in job searches, and more, to suggest suitable job opportunities or enable employers to identify potential candidates.” However, these data insights might also be employed “to present you with more pertinent advertisements.”
The inclusion of biometric data aligns with Elon Musk’s objective to eliminate fraudulent accounts from the platform. It is worth noting that such data collection could attract regulatory scrutiny. X is currently facing a proposed class action lawsuit for unauthorized biometric data collection, allegedly sourced from every image containing a recognizable face uploaded to the platform, according to a lawsuit detailed by Bloomberg.
