1
00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,480
Hi everybody and welcome back to
another episode of the Elon Musk

2
00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,480
Podcast. 
Today we have quite a complex 

3
00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,200
topic to unravel. 
It's a story that has just come 

4
00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,240
to the surface regarding the 
social media platform X, 

5
00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:15,960
formerly known as Twitter. 
Now this platform is now 

6
00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:20,040
allowing paid users to verify 
their accounts using government 

7
00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:22,520
ID's. 
And what's notable is that this 

8
00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:24,920
new form of identification isn't
available everywhere. 

9
00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,530
Specifically, users in the 
European Union, the European 

10
00:00:28,570 --> 00:00:32,369
Economic Area, and the United 
Kingdom are excluded. 

11
00:00:32,770 --> 00:00:35,050
And why is this change even 
happening? 

12
00:00:35,290 --> 00:00:38,370
Well, ostensibly to prevent 
impersonation and keep the 

13
00:00:38,370 --> 00:00:41,130
platform secure. 
But there are many layers to 

14
00:00:41,130 --> 00:00:45,010
peel back here, including 
concerns over data privacy, the 

15
00:00:45,050 --> 00:00:48,570
influence of external companies 
in this process, in the 

16
00:00:48,570 --> 00:00:53,570
bifurcation of the user base 
into paid and freed categories. 

17
00:00:54,050 --> 00:00:58,480
Now the feature has its origins 
in Israel, where the company 

18
00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,320
Authentics is facilitating its 
new ID verification process. 

19
00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,240
Data, potentially including 
biometric information, will be 

20
00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:11,440
stored for a period of up to 30 
days, raising eyebrows about 

21
00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,040
personal privacy. 
And here's another twist. 

22
00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,520
ID based verification is 
currently available only for 

23
00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,800
paid users, creating another 
divide in an already stratified 

24
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:26,050
online space. 
Now let's start by looking at 

25
00:01:26,050 --> 00:01:30,250
how X is implementing this ID 
verification. 

26
00:01:30,770 --> 00:01:33,570
The initiative seems to be a 
protective measure that aims at 

27
00:01:33,570 --> 00:01:37,410
preventing impersonation and in 
the future regulating access to 

28
00:01:37,530 --> 00:01:41,330
age specific content. 
X is teaming up with Authentics 

29
00:01:41,650 --> 00:01:45,170
and Israeli based firm 
specializing in identity 

30
00:01:45,170 --> 00:01:48,210
verification. 
A pop up window will prompt 

31
00:01:48,210 --> 00:01:52,010
users to upload their government
issued ID's and the information 

32
00:01:52,010 --> 00:01:54,610
collected will be stored for up 
to 30 days. 

33
00:01:54,970 --> 00:01:57,890
Now this development could 
explain why X recently updated 

34
00:01:57,890 --> 00:02:02,570
its privacy policy to include 
cards for biometric information,

35
00:02:02,890 --> 00:02:05,650
a term that has been causing a 
lot of discussion lately. 

36
00:02:06,530 --> 00:02:09,289
Now if you go through this 
process, your profile report a 

37
00:02:09,289 --> 00:02:11,970
note saying your government ID 
has BeenVerified. 

38
00:02:12,290 --> 00:02:14,690
But there's a catch. 
You only see this verification 

39
00:02:14,690 --> 00:02:18,250
status when clicking on the blue
mark on the profile. 

40
00:02:18,890 --> 00:02:22,410
And this makes us wonder, is 
this another status symbol or a 

41
00:02:22,410 --> 00:02:25,490
genuine measure for concrete 
security? 

42
00:02:25,970 --> 00:02:29,130
Now moving out to the benefits 
of the verification, what do you

43
00:02:29,130 --> 00:02:33,450
really get from this? 
X states that users verified IDs

44
00:02:33,450 --> 00:02:37,570
will get prioritized support 
from X services, although the 

45
00:02:37,570 --> 00:02:41,270
specifics of what that means are
somewhat shredded in history and

46
00:02:41,270 --> 00:02:44,230
the tangible benefits appear 
limited, especially given that 

47
00:02:44,230 --> 00:02:46,910
this whole mechanism is locked 
behind a paywall. 

48
00:02:46,910 --> 00:02:51,070
The service is exclusive to paid
users, at least for now. 

49
00:02:51,070 --> 00:02:55,190
And in a similar vein, X allows 
their paid users to hide their 

50
00:02:55,190 --> 00:02:59,230
verification check marks if they
choose to do so, which also 

51
00:02:59,230 --> 00:03:03,030
seems contradictory to the 
stated goal of transparency and 

52
00:03:03,030 --> 00:03:05,670
security. 
So is the platform enhancing 

53
00:03:05,670 --> 00:03:09,750
security or merely adding 
another tier of exclusivity to 

54
00:03:09,750 --> 00:03:12,920
its services now? 
Remember, Twitter, now 

55
00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:16,520
transformed into X, had 
previously discontinued its 

56
00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,560
legacy verification program. 
The action led to some chaos, 

57
00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,640
with top accounts losing their 
check marks. 

58
00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:26,200
But that check mark soon made 
its comeback, underscoring how 

59
00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,480
important it has become as a 
status symbol. 

60
00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,520
And when it comes to privacy, X 
made another change last month 

61
00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,720
that gave it the power to 
capture users, biometric data, 

62
00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:38,280
educational background, and job 
history. 

63
00:03:38,740 --> 00:03:42,060
These changes are unfolding at a
time when X's parent company is 

64
00:03:42,060 --> 00:03:45,660
under scrutiny for its data 
privacy practices, adding 

65
00:03:45,660 --> 00:03:48,700
another layer of complexity to 
this verification process. 

66
00:03:49,580 --> 00:03:53,380
Now let's turn our gaze toward 
Europe, where this feature is 

67
00:03:53,380 --> 00:03:56,820
not yet available. 
X sidesteps European markets, 

68
00:03:56,820 --> 00:04:00,180
presumably due to stringent data
protection laws. 

69
00:04:00,620 --> 00:04:03,320
Given this new system 
potentially involves the 

70
00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,800
collection and storage of 
sensitive personal data, it's 

71
00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:08,320
understandable that X would 
tread carefully in these 

72
00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,320
jurisdictions. 
But it doesn't mention that it 

73
00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,280
plans to extend this feature to 
Europe soon, leaving us 

74
00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,160
pondering the legal gymnastics 
that will be required to make 

75
00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,440
this happen. 
Now it's worth mentioning the 

76
00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:21,320
competition. 
There's Blue Sky. 

77
00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,840
Funded by Twitter and backed by 
Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, 

78
00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,040
which recently hit a million 
users, Blue Sky has adopted A 

79
00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,060
decentralized approach and aims 
to remain free, offering a paid 

80
00:04:33,060 --> 00:04:37,260
domain service as a means for 
users to verify their identity. 

81
00:04:37,700 --> 00:04:41,500
Then there's Metas Threads, 
which read 100 million users in 

82
00:04:41,500 --> 00:04:44,220
just a week after becoming 
available in July. 

83
00:04:44,660 --> 00:04:47,900
It seems the landscape of social
media is witnessing interesting 

84
00:04:47,900 --> 00:04:51,540
developments in terms of user 
verification and identity 

85
00:04:51,540 --> 00:04:54,940
management, making X's steps 
even more noteworthy. 

86
00:04:55,540 --> 00:04:58,100
It's essential to touch on the 
reactions from the public and 

87
00:04:58,100 --> 00:05:01,730
users of the platform too. 
There's clear split in opinions,

88
00:05:02,010 --> 00:05:04,250
as some viewing the new 
verification process as a 

89
00:05:04,250 --> 00:05:08,370
necessary step towards ensuring 
platform security, while others 

90
00:05:08,370 --> 00:05:11,090
see it as an intrusion into 
personal privacy. 

91
00:05:11,450 --> 00:05:13,770
There's a strong sentiment that 
the move to offer this 

92
00:05:13,770 --> 00:05:17,850
verification only to paid users 
sets a dangerous precedent. 

93
00:05:18,210 --> 00:05:21,650
It creates an online hierarchy 
and potentially marginalizes 

94
00:05:21,890 --> 00:05:25,050
those can't afford or choose not
to opt for the paid version. 

95
00:05:25,630 --> 00:05:29,150
Now, Authentics involvement 
brings in its own set of 

96
00:05:29,150 --> 00:05:32,030
concerns. 
External companies having access

97
00:05:32,030 --> 00:05:35,670
to sensitive user data and 
personal data has always been a 

98
00:05:35,670 --> 00:05:39,910
contentious issue, while Azure's
users that the data is securely 

99
00:05:39,910 --> 00:05:41,630
stored and only kept for limited
time. 

100
00:05:41,990 --> 00:05:45,110
Past incidents with other 
platforms have made users wary. 

101
00:05:45,670 --> 00:05:49,270
Now this partnership evolves and
what it means for users, data 

102
00:05:49,270 --> 00:05:52,910
privacy will be crucial in 
determining the public's trust 

103
00:05:52,950 --> 00:05:56,220
in this new feature. 
Now, from a business standpoint,

104
00:05:56,220 --> 00:05:59,860
though, X's move is strategic. 
The page here offers an 

105
00:05:59,860 --> 00:06:03,180
additional revenue stream in an 
age where platforms are looking 

106
00:06:03,180 --> 00:06:06,620
for sustainable monetization 
methods outside traditional 

107
00:06:06,620 --> 00:06:10,060
advertising, and by adding 
exclusive features like ID 

108
00:06:10,060 --> 00:06:14,020
verification to the paid, tier X
is creating a premium experience

109
00:06:14,020 --> 00:06:16,620
for its subscribers. 
But this approach begs the 

110
00:06:16,620 --> 00:06:21,500
question, is online safety and 
security a luxury only a few can

111
00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:24,530
afford now? 
As we project into the future, 

112
00:06:24,530 --> 00:06:27,610
it's interesting how to how the 
shift will impact online 

113
00:06:27,610 --> 00:06:30,050
interactions. 
Will other platforms follow 

114
00:06:30,050 --> 00:06:32,850
suit, making ID verification a 
common feature? 

115
00:06:33,130 --> 00:06:36,250
Or will there be push back, 
leading to more decentralized 

116
00:06:36,250 --> 00:06:38,890
platforms where user privacy is 
paramount? 

117
00:06:39,250 --> 00:06:42,490
Additionally, as online 
misinformation continues to be a

118
00:06:42,490 --> 00:06:46,930
significant concern, it's worth 
asking if ID verification play a

119
00:06:46,930 --> 00:06:50,330
role in curbing the spread of 
fake news and ensuring more 

120
00:06:50,330 --> 00:06:53,280
authentic online interaction. 
While it's not a foolproof 

121
00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:56,640
solution, the biggest step in 
the right direction, the realm 

122
00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,720
of online identity and 
verification is very complex. 

123
00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,400
As platforms like X continue to 
adapt and change their 

124
00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:06,280
strategies, the balance between 
ensuring user security and 

125
00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:08,480
upholding data privacy remains 
delicate. 

126
00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,520
It's essential for users to stay
informed and understand the 

127
00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,480
changes that directly impact 
them, and we conclude this 

128
00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,720
discussion. 
One thing's clear, the digital 

129
00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:20,310
world is changing and as users, 
we need to be proactive in 

130
00:07:20,310 --> 00:07:23,390
understanding these changes, in 
adapting accordingly. 

131
00:07:23,910 --> 00:07:26,630
Now thank you so much for 
listening to the Elon Musk 

132
00:07:26,630 --> 00:07:29,390
podcast today and joining me and
your support. 

133
00:07:29,390 --> 00:07:32,430
Engagement mean the world to us.
So remember, if you haven't 

134
00:07:32,430 --> 00:07:35,390
already hit that subscribe or 
follow button on your preferred 

135
00:07:35,390 --> 00:07:38,310
podcast platform. 
This pasta thing and helps us 

136
00:07:38,310 --> 00:07:40,030
bring more insightful topics to 
you. 

137
00:07:40,030 --> 00:07:43,870
And until next time, keep the 
discussions going and always 

138
00:07:43,870 --> 00:07:46,270
stay informed. 
Please take care of yourselves 

139
00:07:46,270 --> 00:07:48,500
and each other. 
I'll see you in the next one.