About This Account reveals the scale of X’s foreign troll problem
The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has long been recognized as a battleground for foreign influence campaigns aimed at disrupting American politics. While much attention has historically centered on Russian troll farms, the recent launch of X’s “About This Account” feature has unveiled a more extensive and geographically diverse network of foreign troll accounts targeting U.S. political discourse. This new feature allows users to see the origins of accounts, revealing that many of the outrage-inducing profiles claiming to represent American political sentiments are actually based in countries like Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Thailand. For instance, accounts with names such as ULTRAMAGA🇺🇸TRUMP🇺🇸2028 were traced back to Nigeria, while a verified account impersonating border czar Tom Homan was linked to Eastern Europe. This revelation has sparked a surge of activity on the platform, with users quickly compiling lists of these deceptive accounts that masquerade as American voices.
As the feature gained traction, discussions proliferated on X, with right-wing personalities seizing the opportunity to highlight that some left-leaning accounts were also not what they seemed. This led to an overwhelming influx of users calling out the seemingly endless array of fake and troll accounts designed to incite political division. However, shortly after the feature’s launch, X removed the information disclosing the origins of accounts and added disclaimers about the potential inaccuracies in location data, citing factors like travel and the use of VPNs. While these disclaimers may apply to some accounts, the sheer volume of identified foreign trolls suggests a more systematic issue. Experts believe that many of these accounts are likely part of state-sponsored influence campaigns, particularly from nations such as Russia and China, which have a vested interest in creating discord within the American political landscape. Additionally, the allure of monetization on X, although modest by Western standards, can be significant in developing countries, further incentivizing individuals to engage in these deceptive practices.
The implications of these findings are profound, as they highlight the ongoing vulnerability of social media platforms to foreign interference and the complexities of identifying genuine political discourse in the digital age. As X grapples with the fallout from these revelations, the challenge remains: how to effectively manage and mitigate the influence of foreign actors while fostering a trustworthy environment for authentic political dialogue. The situation underscores the importance of vigilance among users and the need for robust measures to ensure the integrity of online political engagement.
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It’s long been known that X (and Twitter before it) is a
major venue
for foreign influence campaigns to meddle in American politics. Much of the focus has been on
Russian troll farms
, which the US government has
targeted
on
several
occasions
. But the launch of X’s
About This Account
feature may have revealed the scope and geographical breadth of its foreign troll problem.
Almost immediately after the feature launched, people started noticing that many rage-bait accounts focused on US politics appeared to be based outside of the US. Profiles with names like
ULTRAMAGA🇺🇸TRUMP🇺🇸2028
were revealed to be based in Nigeria. A verified account posing as border czar
Tom Homan
was traced to Eastern Europe. And America_First0? Apparently from Bangladesh. An entire network of “
Trump-supporting independent women
” claiming to be from America was really located in Thailand.
Threads quickly started growing, collecting all the pro-MAGA trolls that claimed to be American, but were really foreign actors from every corner of the globe. Some
right-wing
personalities
were quick to jump on evidence that many left-wing X users were also not who they claimed to be. In no time at all, X was flooded with people calling out the seemingly endless list of
fake
and
troll
accounts focused on stoking political anger.
Shortly after the feature launched, X
removed
information about where accounts were created. And disclaimers were placed on locations for where accounts were based, noting that travel, VPNs, and proxies could lead to inaccurate data. This is certainly true for some accounts, however, it’s
extremely
unlikely to be true for even a majority of those being called out.
Some of these troll accounts are likely state-sponsored influence campaigns. Foreign entities like Russia and China have a vested interest in
sowing chaos
in the American political system. But it’s also likely that many are driven by monetary gain. While
earnings from monetization
on X can be paltry by Western standards, it can be life-changing in developing nations.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Tech & AI news.
