How to Disable X from Using Your Data to Train Grok AI

X, formerly Twitter, has quietly defaulted user data into its AI training pool for Grok, catching the attention of the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC).

Grok AI and User Data Concerns

Grok, a conversational AI developed by Elon Musk-owned X, aims to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT with a focus on less political correctness and more humor. The recent change, which defaults user data into Grok's training pool, was spotted by users on Friday. This development has raised significant privacy concerns, particularly in Europe.

DPC’s Response

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), X’s European privacy watchdog, expressed surprise at this move. “The DPC has been engaging with X on this matter for a number of months, with our latest interaction occurring as recently as yesterday,” DPC deputy commissioner Graham Doyle told TechCrunch. “Therefore, we are surprised by today’s developments. We have followed up with X today and are awaiting a response. We expect further engagement early next week.”

GDPR Compliance Issues

Under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies need a valid legal basis for processing people’s data. It’s unclear if X has this legal basis, as a similar plan by Meta was paused in Europe following GDPR complaints. The DPC leads on oversight of X’s compliance with GDPR, which allows for penalties of up to 4% of global annual turnover for confirmed breaches.

Ambiguous Policy Wording

The default-enabled Grok data-sharing setting on X reads: “Allow your posts as well as your interactions, inputs, and results with Grok to be used for training and fine-tuning.” Smaller print adds: “To continuously improve your experience, we may utilize your X posts as well as your user interactions, inputs, and results with Grok for training and fine-tuning purposes,” with a specification that such data “may be shared with our service provider xAI for these purposes.”

The wording is ambiguous, making it unclear whether all user data or only interactions with Grok are being used for training.

How to Disable Data Sharing for Grok AI

If you’re concerned about your data being used to train Grok, you can disable this setting. Note that this can only be done via the desktop version of X.

• Open the Settings page on X on your desktop.

• Select the “Privacy and safety” button.

• Select “Grok.”

• Uncheck the box.

After disabling the setting, you can delete your conversation history with the AI by clicking on the “Delete conversation history” button.

Legal Basis and Regulatory Scrutiny

TechCrunch contacted X to ask about the legal basis for processing European data to train Grok. At the time of writing, the company’s press email had only delivered an automated response: “Busy now, please check back later.”

Earlier this week, Elon Musk announced that xAI had started training its Grok large language model using “the most powerful AI training cluster in the world,” claiming it would become “the world’s most powerful AI by every metric by December [2024].” This indicates that Musk and X intend to use more than just a powerful training cluster but also user data for training Grok.

Conclusion

The DPC expects further developments on the Grok AI data-sharing issue next week. With growing concerns and regulatory scrutiny, X will need to address the ambiguities and legal implications of its data-sharing practices.