Although the policy mentions an opt-out option, it is unclear how users can actually opt out. As TechCrunch reports, the policy directs users to the settings menu, but no apparent controls for opting out of data sharing exist at the moment. The policy doesn’t go into effect until November, so there is still potential for adjustments. X did not provide a comment on the matter when asked.
If X moves forward with licensing its data to other companies, it could create a new revenue source for the platform, which has seen diminishing interest from major advertisers.
Scraping Tweets
Another notable update is X’s stricter penalties for scraping tweets. The company is revising its terms of service to impose significant fines on entities that scrape large numbers of tweets. Under a new section titled “liquidated damages,” the policy states that any person or entity that views or accesses more than a million posts per day will face a penalty of $15,000.
“Protecting our users’ data and our system resources is important to us. You further agree that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, if you violate the Terms, or you induce or facilitate others to do so, in addition to all other legal remedies available to us, you will be jointly and severally liable to us for liquidated damages as follows for requesting, viewing, or accessing more than 1,000,000 posts…in any 24-hour period – $15,000 USD per 1,000,000 posts.”
