EFF Sends Letter to FTC Regarding X Consent Order

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) submitted a formal letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on July 2, 2026, urging the agency to tighten the terms of its recently issued consent order with X, the social‑media platform formerly known as Twitter. The correspondence, made public in a PDF released by the EFF, argues that the current order does not sufficiently protect user privacy, lacks enforceable provisions for data‑handling transparency, and fails to address X’s ongoing collection of location and biometric information without explicit consent. The EFF’s legal team cites recent FTC guidance on privacy and data security, contending that the consent order should be amended to require independent audits, clearer user opt‑out mechanisms, and a schedule for public reporting on compliance.

In the letter, the EFF also highlights X’s history of algorithmic opacity and the platform’s role in amplifying misinformation, urging the FTC to incorporate safeguards that limit the use of personal data for targeted advertising and content recommendation. The organization points to specific sections of the consent order that it believes are overly vague, requesting that the FTC define measurable benchmarks and impose penalties for non‑compliance that are proportionate to the scale of any violations. The EFF’s comments were posted alongside a discussion thread on Hacker News (item 48766209), where the submission garnered 75 up‑votes and generated 18 comments from industry observers and privacy advocates.

The FTC has not yet responded to the EFF’s recommendations, but the agency is expected to review the feedback as part of its ongoing oversight of X’s privacy practices. If the FTC adopts the suggested revisions, X could face stricter regulatory obligations that would reshape how the platform handles user data and algorithmic decision‑making, potentially setting a precedent for future consent orders with large social‑media companies.