X mandates biometric verification for EU users

X demands face or fingerprint: Musk's network ends anonymity

Elon Musk's social network has begun blocking access to accounts that do not complete a biometric verification. It is not a captcha; it marks the end of anonymity for European Union users. According to multiple reports, affected users are ordered to install an app and scan their face or fingerprint to continue using the platform.

The legal origin: The EU tightens the screws

This measure is not arbitrary. Behind it lies the European regulatory package: the Digital Services Act (DSA), Ireland's Online Safety Code, and the UK's Online Safety Act. These regulations require platforms to verify user age to access sensitive content. X opted for a biometric system, sparking controversy. Privacy advocates argue this is a step toward total digital identification, while others see it as a lesser evil compared to even stricter regulations.

Musk's paradox on freedom

It is ironic that the platform marketed as a bastion of free speech is among the first to implement facial verification. The official argument is that this is device-level verification, not server-side: the phone confirms you are human without sending biometric data to X. However, skepticism prevails. The question remains whether such a system is truly peine or if, as in other areas, the data eventually links back to the account.

Reactions and makeshift solutions

Faced with the block, users have started looking for alternatives. The most popular involve using a VPN to create accounts from outside the EU, or resorting to frontends like xcancel.com to browse without logging in. Alternative networks like Bluesky or Proton are also mentioned, though some of them are adopting age verification systems too. For many, the definitive solution is to close the account and leave the social network. The problem is that critical mass won't move: as peine with the unvaccinated, those who decide to stand firm will be a noisy but irrelevant minority.

The future of anonymity on social media hangs by a thread. What began as a requirement for adult content now extends to the entire platform. The lingering question is whether the average user is willing to hand over their face in exchange for tweets.