Elon Musks X rolls out feature that shows users country of origin – then suddenly removes it
Late last Friday night, Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, introduced an eagerly awaited feature that allowed users to gain insights into the geographical origins of accounts. By visiting any user’s profile and clicking on their join date, users could access an “About this account” page that disclosed the country from which the account was posting, determined by the user’s IP address. This new functionality was distinct from the traditional “Location” detail that users manually inputted, offering a more accurate representation of where users were actually situated. The rollout was initially met with enthusiasm, as many users believed this transparency could help mitigate the spread of misinformation and foreign influence, particularly in political discussions.
However, the excitement was short-lived, as the feature was mysteriously removed just hours after its debut. Reports indicated that the removal might have been due to inaccuracies in the country information displayed. X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, engaged with users who reported discrepancies, such as one user from Canada whose country of origin appeared as the United States. Bier acknowledged the issue, attributing it to complications arising from the use of VPNs, which can mask a user’s actual location. He assured users that the team was working on fixes, including an indicator for accounts created with VPNs, and hinted at a potential re-launch of the feature in the following days.
The brief existence of the country of origin feature sparked a broader conversation about accountability on social media platforms. Many users expressed hope that such transparency could deter foreign actors from disseminating misleading information, drawing parallels to Facebook’s similar feature for page administrators. While the feature’s removal left users in suspense, the underlying desire for enhanced accountability on social media remains strong. As X navigates these challenges, the anticipation surrounding the potential reintroduction of the country of origin feature continues to grow, highlighting the ongoing demand for transparency and authenticity in online interactions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ZOxgFJaP0
If you were perusing Elon Musk’s X late Friday night, you might have seen a brand new, highly anticipated feature roll out.
X visitors were able to go to any users’ profile page, click on their join date to view a new “About this account” page which revealed exactly which nation an account was based. This information differed from the usual “Location” detail on an X profile page, as it showed exactly where an account was posting from based on their IP address, not what the user input themselves.
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The country of origin disclosure was broadly lauded among X’s user base. Then, suddenly, without notice, the country of origin was removed from the “About this account” page just hours after it made its late-night debut.
Mashable
reported
last month that the feature was on the way. X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, originally teased the feature, rolling it out on his own account as a demo of how it would work before it was visible on any other X users’ accounts.
It’s unclear exactly why X quickly removed the feature shortly after rolling it out to the public. However, Bier replied to some X users who were reporting that their “About this account” was showing inaccurate information, which may be the reason why the feature was taken down.
One X user named “Canadian Beaver” shared that their country of origin was appearing as the United States despite residing in Canada.
“Fixing this now,” Bier
replied
. “Looks like Starlink threw us off.”
Along with the current country of origin, the “About this page” also displayed where a user resided when first creating the account. One X user reported that their join date location was inaccurately displayed as Korea.
“We identified the problem: it looks like you used a VPN to register your account in ’22,” Bier said to that user. “We are adding a indicator on that row on Monday for Android and iOS—and it will be live on web tomorrow.”
Based on Bier’s responses, it seems X may have removed the feature to fix location inaccuracies caused by VPNs, and the intention is to re-roll out the feature in the coming days.
X users mostly welcomed the country of origin feature, as many feel it would discourage foreign actors from spreading misinformation and propaganda related to political discussions on the platform. Facebook has a similar feature for Facebook Pages, where users can view the country of origin for the administrators of the page, although Facebook does not reveal the profiles behind the pages.
We’ll soon find out if Musk’s social media platform reinstates the feature.
