X’s New ‘About This Account’ Feature Is a Hit
▼ Summary
– X is rolling out a new “About This Account” feature that shows user geographic locations, with this data drawing significant attention.
– The feature revealed that many right-wing “America First” accounts appear to be based outside the United States, sparking controversy.
– X’s product director acknowledged the location data for older accounts is not completely reliable and promised improvements by Tuesday.
– Some users have reported wildly inaccurate listed locations, with potential causes including travel, VPNs, or old IP addresses.
– Despite the questionable accuracy, the feature is described as an important step toward securing platform integrity.
A new feature on the social media platform X is generating significant buzz, particularly for the way it displays user location data. Dubbed “About This Account,” this tool aims to provide greater transparency by showing details like an account’s creation date and the method used to download the app. However, the geographic information it presents has become the main focus of public discussion and debate.
Influencers and everyday users alike have been scrutinizing the reported locations of various political accounts. For instance, left-wing commentator Micah Erfan shared a collection of screenshots highlighting prominent “America First” and MAGA-aligned accounts that the feature identified as operating from countries including Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Thailand. Erfan characterized the reveal as “total armageddon for the online right,” suggesting it undermines the authenticity of these profiles.
The accounts under examination range from those with modest follower counts to others boasting audiences in the hundreds of thousands. One notable example is the account @American, which the system indicated was based in Pakistan, raising questions about its origin and intent.
X’s director of product, Nikita Bier, confirmed the global rollout of the feature, framing it as a crucial move toward securing what he called “the integrity of the global town square.” Despite this positive framing, the launch has not been without its issues. Numerous users have reported that the location data assigned to their accounts is completely wrong. Bier publicly acknowledged these problems, stating that the “data was not 100% for old accounts” and expressing confidence that “a few rough edges … will be resolved by Tuesday.”
Industry observers, including reporters from The Verge, have pointed out that while inauthentic accounts and coordinated troll farms operating from outside the U.S. are a genuine concern, many of the locations flagged by the new feature appear highly suspect. The inaccuracies are likely attributable to a variety of common factors, such as individuals traveling abroad, accounts managed by international teams, the widespread use of VPNs to mask true IP addresses, or the system relying on outdated IP data. This has led to a situation where the reliability of the location information is now a central part of the conversation.
(Source: TechCrunch)
