Canada’s privacy watchdog has initiated an investigation into X, the social media platform owned by billionaire Elon Musk. The inquiry will determine whether X’s use of Canadians’ personal data to train artificial intelligence (AI) models violated privacy regulations.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada announced the probe in a statement on Thursday after receiving a complaint.
The investigation will focus on X’s adherence to federal privacy law concerning its collection, use, and disclosure of Canadians’ personal information for AI training.
The office did not provide further details about the specific complaint.
Brian Masse, a lawmaker from the opposition New Democratic Party, expressed his support for the investigation. He had contacted the privacy commissioner earlier this week to request the inquiry into X.
“I’m pleased to see the privacy commissioner agree to launch an investigation into X’s use of Canadians’ data,” Masse stated. He emphasized the importance of transparency, especially when algorithms could be manipulated to spread misinformation.
X has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters.
This investigation into X occurs amidst rising tensions between Canada and the United States regarding trade, border security, and a digital services tax targeting U.S. tech firms.
President Donald Trump, who has asked Musk to help reduce the size of the U.S. government, announced on Thursday his intention to implement proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods starting March 4, citing concerns over drug trafficking from those countries.
Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla, has founded an artificial intelligence startup called xAI.
After Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in 2022 and its rebranding as X, the platform introduced xAI’s Grok chatbot to its users.
Grok serves as an AI assistant designed to help users with various tasks, including answering questions, solving problems, and brainstorming.
Last week, xAI launched Grok-3, the latest version of its chatbot, which is now available to Premium+ subscribers on X.
Generative AI models like Grok require extensive data for training and development. Canada’s privacy legislation outlines the rules for how private-sector organizations can collect, use, and disclose personal information in business. The privacy commissioner has highlighted these rules, which include guidelines on consent, disclosure, retention, and safeguards.
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