Elon Musk Says X, Formerly Twitter, Will Have Voice and Video Calls

Elon Musk announced on Thursday that users will be able to have voice and video conversations on his social network X, formerly known as Twitter.

Musk did not specify a timeframe for when the functions would be made accessible to users. In the past, Musk has made predictions about upcoming features and rules that have not always materialized.

The business also changed its privacy policy to permit the acquisition of information such as work history and biometric data. The voice and video chats on the platform will function on desktops as well as Apple and Android devices, Musk wrote on the defunct Twitter, adding that “no phone numbers are needed.

“Voice and video calls are already available on social media rivals. In 2015, Meta, the company that owns Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, added voice and video calling to Messenger.

In 2016, Snapchat added them. An inquiry for additional information regarding the new features and their release date did not immediately receive a response from X.

The platform’s new privacy statement, which became effective on September 29, informs users that “on your consent, we may collect and use your biometric information for safety, security, and identification purposes.” It does not specify what biometric information would be gathered. Fingerprints, facial recognition, and other biometric data types are all included.

Stephen Wicker, a professor at Cornell University and an authority on data privacy, said that the news “is at least an acknowledgement that X will be doing what other social networks have already been doing in a more covert fashion.”

Facebook settled a privacy complaint for allegedly utilizing photo face-tagging and other biometric data without its users’ consent two years ago for $650 million.

Wicker stated that “X’s announcement is an expansion of the ongoing farming of social network users for personal data that can be used for directed advertising and that such data collection “continues to be a problem for the individuals that provide the data while being a source of wealth for those that take it.”

The Digital Services Act, a broad piece of legislation that targets big tech, became effective last week for users in the European Union. X has since included a new reporting feature for posts and ads that might not comply with the new regulations. Outside of the EU, where the regulations do not apply, the feature is not accessible.

Twitter took part in a voluntary “stress test” in June to determine whether the company was prepared to meet the DSA’s requirements, which include safeguarding children online and identifying and combating misinformation in both everyday and emergency circumstances.

At the time, European Commissioner Thierry Breton recognized the “strong commitment of Twitter to comply” with the DSA but stressed that “work needs to continue.”