In the new age of data privacy, of which X owner Elon Musk has been a key advocate, this seems like a significant oversight by the platform formerly known as Twitter.
With X rolling out its new option to make voice and video calls in the app to all users late last month, privacy advocates have noted that the new system reveals each user’s IP address whenever they make a call.
The detail has been added as a Community Note on X’s official announcement:
That could be a problem for X’s most vulnerable users, and with the platform also being used as a key connector for some political activists, it may also lead to major safety risks, without users necessarily being aware of it.
And they’re even less likely to consider such now given Musk’s own statements on the importance of DM encryption, which X rolled out to paying users last year.
Twitter DMs should have end to end encryption like Signal, so no one can spy on or hack your messages
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2022
Indeed, within X’s overview of DM encryption, it notes that:
“X seeks to be the most trusted platform on the internet.”
Which Musk has also adopted as a key aim for the app, and within that context, this seems like a pretty big loophole to have facilitated within the roll out of its voice and video calling tools.
Users can, of course, switch voice and video calling off in their settings, and for anyone who’s concerned about inadvertently sharing their location, that’s probably a good idea.
But it also seems reflective of X’s new push to move as fast as possible, with much less oversight, which could lead to gaps like this within the process.
