Elon Musk’s X in trouble: Irish privacy watchdog probes data use to train Grok

Ireland's privacy watchdog has launched an investigation against Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter), over its use of European users' personal data to train its AI chatbot, Grok.

The development comes after X continued to develop new AI models despite agreeing to suspend its use of personal data from European users last year.

The inquiry launched by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) aims to determine whether X has lawfully processed personal data from publicly accessible posts made by EU users.

The DPC's investigation will examine compliance with key provisions of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including lawfulness and transparency of data processing.

Previously, in 2024, the DPC had launched a court case against X, arguing that the platform's use of personal data from public posts made by European users violated users' data privacy rights.

X agreed to work with the DPC and suspended its use of the data, prompting the DPC to drop the case. However, the platform has since continued to develop new AI models.

It should be noted that as Musk-owned X’s European headquarters is based in Ireland, the DPC serves as the lead regulator in Europe for the social platform.

The watchdog has the power to impose penalties of up to EUR 20 million or 4% of a company’s total annual revenue for severe violations.