X, formerly Twitter, to send users' info to Israel-based company for verification

The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, will reportedly send users' personal information to an Israeli-based company for verification, sparking concerns about privacy and security.

The Twitter Blue subscription process will require users to submit government-approved photo ID and a selfie to X, which will then pass it to AU10TIX, based in Israel, for verification. 

AU10TIX describes itself as a "world leader" in identity verification and management, and provides identity intelligence to airports and border control authorities.

The new process will be used "for the purpose of safety and security, including preventing impersonation", X said, and personal information will be stored with the social media giant for up to 30 days, according to PC Mag.

Elon Musk wants to give your biometric data to an Israeli company that bankrolls apartheid and other tech-led settler crimes. I wrote how this data and spyware is used for @the_newarab just two months ago.https://t.co/kFKE846X5D https://t.co/83qVebJLkd

— aina marzia (@ainamarzia_) August 20, 2023

"X will begin to have users verify their identity by having them submit a selfie alongside a government issued ID," PC Mag tweeted.

"The process requires users to consent to X storing their information for 30 days and sharing it with AU10TIX, an identity verification company based in Israel."

Since Elon Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion, there has been criticism about his running of the social media platform by activists and journalists.

Musk scrapped the old free-of-charge 'blue tick' process - used to identify notable public figures - and introduced the Twitter Blue subscription service, which essentially allows anyone to be "verified" if they pay a monthly fee.

A perceived lack of oversight has seen some subscribers impersonate important public figures and institutions, such as Sudanese paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. 

Musk appears to be moving away from this system with the new verification process but there are concerns among Palestinians about the use of AU10TIX for this, due to the track record of other Israeli companies misusing personal information.

Pegasus spyware made by Israeli company NSO Group has been allegedly used by a number of Arab regimes to spy on activists.

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's widow sued the NSO Group this year over the alleged use of the monitoring software to spy on her messages during the lead up to his murder.

The Israeli government also intrusively spies on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Palestinian citizens of Israel, via spyware and other technologies.

Many visitors to Israel are subject to interrogation at ports of entry, where they risk being deported. Palestinians are often subject to administrative detention, which allows Israeli authorities to essential hold suspects indefinitely.

The New Arab has approached AU10TIX for comment on the fears of users but did not receive a response by the time of publication.