What Xs new country based in feature tells us about fake accounts
In a significant move towards transparency, Elon Musk’s platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has introduced a new feature that reveals the country of origin for user accounts. This change, first hinted at by X’s head of product Nikita Bier, aims to provide users with more insight into the authenticity of the accounts they interact with. The “About this account” page now displays the geographical location from which users are posting, allowing others to discern whether they are engaging with real users or potentially fake accounts. Although the feature was briefly removed due to concerns about users employing VPNs to mask their locations, it was reinstated within a day, highlighting the platform’s commitment to enhancing user experience and accountability.
The implications of this feature are profound, particularly in the realm of political discourse on social media. Many users have long suspected that foreign actors contribute to the spread of misinformation and divisive narratives, often under the guise of local citizens. For instance, accounts like @American and “Mariana Times,” which presented themselves as U.S. citizens, were actually found to be posting from South Asia and India, respectively. Such revelations underscore the potential for manipulation and the need for vigilance among users. While the feature does allow individuals to obscure their exact location by selecting a broader region, it primarily serves to expose accounts that may not be what they claim to be, thus enhancing the overall integrity of discussions on the platform.
Despite Musk’s stated goal of combating bots and fake accounts, the introduction of this feature has raised questions about the effectiveness of his strategies since acquiring X. Studies indicate that the prevalence of fake accounts has worsened, suggesting that while transparency is a step in the right direction, it may not fully address the underlying issues. Nevertheless, the ability to identify the actual locations of users can empower individuals to engage more critically with the content they encounter. As users navigate the complexities of online interactions, this new tool could serve as a crucial resource in discerning the authenticity of voices in the dynamic landscape of social media. Ultimately, as the discourse on X evolves, this feature represents a significant stride toward ensuring that users can better understand who they are communicating with, fostering a more informed and responsible online community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTXCIGM-OwM
Your suspicions about the user you’re arguing with on
Elon Musk
‘s X being a fake might just be true.
That’s an experience that many users on
X, formerly Twitter
, are sharing since the platform’s new “About this account” page went live with its “Account based in” feature. Basically, each X profile now discloses the country of origin a user is posting from.Â
The feature, which X head of product Nikita Bier first teased last month, was originally rolled out on Friday night. Hours later, X
removed
the feature with Bier claiming there were some changes that needed to be made to address users that utilized VPNs to hide their location. However, by Saturday night, X had once again made the country of origin feature live for each account.
SEE ALSO:
X’s location revealing feature is live. Here’s how to make it less precise.
There are ways to
obscure your location
in X’s settings. Users can choose to only show a general region like North America or Europe instead of the specific nation like the United States or Germany. While this might protect users who are afraid of being doxxed or need to be more private living under an oppressive regime of a more authoritarian country, these settings don’t really affect how fake accounts are revealed.
For example, X users discovered that the account
@American
, complete with a U.S. flag and bald eagle in their avatar, was not in fact a user from the United States but someone posting from “South Asia.”
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Another account called “Mariana Times” presented themselves as a U.S. citizen who spoke out about wanting to deport New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani because “we want a nation” and not “foreigner” who has not “assimilated into American culture.” While their avatar had an Israeli flag with an AI-looking woman standing in front of it, X’s new feature
revealed
that Mariana is actually posting from India.
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Many social media users have long wondered if foreign actors have been behind prominent anonymous political accounts that use the platform to sow discord or even just make easy money through monetization schemes. It’s unclear just how large the scale is, but X’s new location feature certainly confirmed the suspicion that this is happening.
In addition, it shows that Elon Musk’s goal to “defeat the bots” on X has largely been a failure. In fact,
studies have shown
that the bot and fake account problem on X has been even worse since Musk took over and made changes to the platform that made it easier for these type of fake accounts to prevail.
However, with X’s latest change, spearheaded by the
newly-hired
Bier, at least users will now get a good idea if they are arguing with one of these fake accounts. And more transparency is always a good thing.
So, that “Make America Great Again” themed account that you’ve been duking it out with online for years? You may just now find out that the user claiming to be from the U.S. is
actually
from Russia, Nigeria, India, or elsewhere.
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