Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne has opened an investigation into social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, following a complaint regarding the platform’s handling of Canadians’ personal data. The probe will examine whether X is complying with the country’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) in relation to its collection, use, and disclosure of personal data for artificial intelligence (AI) training.
According to a statement from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the investigation will specifically assess whether X has violated federal privacy laws in using Canadians’ personal data to develop AI models. However, further details about the nature of the complaint have not been disclosed.
The investigation follows concerns raised by opposition lawmaker Brian Masse of the New Democratic Party, who had urged the privacy commissioner to look into X’s data practices. “Transparency and sunlight are crucial at a time when algorithms could be manipulated to spread misinformation,” Masse said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.
X, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the investigation. Musk’s xAI startup, which recently launched the Grok-3 chatbot, is believed to rely on vast amounts of data to train its AI models, raising privacy concerns.
The probe comes amid rising tensions between Canada and the United States on multiple fronts, including trade policies and a proposed digital services tax on U.S. tech firms.
Under Canadian privacy law, private-sector organizations must adhere to strict rules regarding data collection, consent, retention, and disclosure. If found in violation, X could face penalties and be required to alter its data-handling practices.
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