(NewsNation) — An estimated 15,000 users have left X, formerly known as Twitter, after the election, but the election outcome isn’t the only reason for the mass “X-odus.”
A wave of social media users are exiting the platform after owner Elon Musk issued new terms of service that would allow him to analyze users’ content to train artificial intelligence.
Some users closed their X accounts two years ago when Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion. Then, Meta-owned company Threads launched its app with features similar to X.
On Tuesday, three days before the launch of the new terms of service, President-elect Donald Trump announced Musk would lead his inaugural Department of Government Efficiency.
More users began leaving X after this announcement.
After X’s new terms of service took effect on Thursday, the mass exodus continues.
Twitter’s new terms and conditions
A new terms of service document, which took effect on Nov. 15, allows Musk to use tweets, photos and videos — even from private accounts — to train Grok, the platform’s AI bot.
“You agree that this license includes the right for us to (i) analyze text and other information you provide … for use with and training of our machine learning and artificial intelligence models, whether generative or another type,” the terms say under the section about users’ rights.
They also stipulate that users’ content may be modified or adapted for other media.
Users will not be paid for their content, which could end up in the hands of other companies, organizations or individuals.
The company will not monitor posts for truthfulness.
“You may be exposed to Content that might be offensive, harmful, inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate, or in some cases, postings that have been mislabeled or are otherwise deceptive,” the terms say. “All Content is the sole responsibility of the person who originated such Content.”
Any content that violates the User Agreement may be removed, but X notes that users may be removed for “no reason at our convenience” or if “you create risk or possible legal exposure for us.”
“The service itself, the experience, has changed dramatically,” said Colby Hall, founding editor of news organization Mediaite, on NewsNation Now. “It’s his company. He can do whatever he wants.”
Other new terms include a $15,000 fine if users view more than a million tweets in a day, which the Knight Institute for the First Amendment at Columbia University calls a “disturbing move.”
People are barred from suing X as a plaintiff or as a member in a class-action lawsuit.
“All disputes related to these terms of service … will be brought exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas or state courts located in Tarrant County, Texas,” the terms say.
“It’s a smart move from Elon Musk,” Hall said. “Is it a fair one? We’ll see.”
Critics have said Musk’s Twitter is right-leaning and promotes censorship of left-leaning ideals — an opposite picture of the former Twitter, which banned Trump, with some users claiming the platform was too liberal.
“I think the pendulum swung the other way. It was way too progressive; the moderation was way too anti-conservative under its previous leadership,” Hall said. “Under Elon Musk, it’s the same thing, but from a different perspective. If you’re very conservative, and you like Elon Musk, it’s a great place to be.”
The only way to opt out of the new terms is to delete one’s account.
Celebrities, news outlets ‘X-iting’
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and actress Jamie Lee Curtis were the first to publicly announce they would no longer use X due to their concerns over the conditions.
Lemon was tapped to host a new show, “The Don Lemon Show,” on X earlier this year, but Musk scrapped the idea before it aired its first episode, an interview with Musk.
“I once believed that it [X] was a place for honest debate and discussion, transparency and free speech, but I now feel it does not serve that purpose,” Lemon said on X in a video to his former 1.5 million followers.
His account, @donlemon, now says, “This account no longer exists.”
The Guardian also announced it would no longer use the platform, publishing an article titled “Why the Guardian is no longer posting.”
What is Bluesky?
Some of those who left have flocked to Bluesky, which launched in October 2021.
The platform gained 1.5 million new users after Trump’s election victory. As of November 2024, Bluesky has over 13 million users, according to its website.
The social platform is an app “designed to not be controlled by a single company,” its website says.
Its features are similar to those of X and Threads with a feed of posts.
The company’s name “Bluesky” could be a nod to Twitter’s former logo of a white bird in a light blue square.
NewsNation’s Anna Kutz contributed to this article.
