The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has welcomed an agreement reached with the social-media platform X.

The platform, formerly known as Twitter, has agreed to suspend its processing of the personal data contained in the public posts of X’s users in the EU and the EEA for use in the training of its AI model, called ‘Grok’.

The suspension applies to data processed between 7 May 2024 and 1 August 2024.

‘Urgent need’

The DPC had brought an urgent High Court application against X under section 134 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

This section allows the DPC, where it considers that there is an urgent need to act to protect the rights and freedoms of data subjects, to make an application to the High Court for an order requiring the data controller to suspend, restrict, or prohibit the processing of personal data.

The application was made before Ms Justice Reynolds, who indicated in her concluding remarks that the rights and freedoms of data subjects across the EU/EEA were at the core of the application.

This was the first time that the DPC had sought to use its powers under section 134.

‘Extensive engagement’

The data watchdog said that the application was made to protect the rights and freedoms of X’s EU/EEA users, and came after extensive engagement between the DPC and X on its AI-model training.

DPC commissioner Dr Des Hogan said that the regulator welcomed X’s agreement to suspend processing.

He added that the DPC, working in conjunction with other European regulators, was continuing to examine the extent to which the processing complied with the GDPR.