US EditionX Temporarily Pulls New Account Location Feature
X briefly tested a location transparency tool exposing many U.S.-claimed accounts as foreign, revealing foreign-based MAGA accounts among others before removal.
- On Friday , Elon Musk's X rolled out a feature displaying user location when clicking the profile 'join date' page, then quickly removed it.
- X framed the experiment as a way for users to verify authenticity and included privacy toggles for users in countries with speech penalties, while X's product team acknowledged "a few rough edges" and planned fixes by Tuesday.
- Users found that many pro-Trump and MAGA-branded accounts were not U.S.-based, including America First traced to Bangladesh, MAGA NATION with nearly 400,000 followers in Eastern Europe, and @IvankaNews_ based in Nigeria.
- Within hours, the rollout provoked removals and suspensions, including a now-deleted "Trump Is My President" account listed in Macedonia, while the Department of Homeland Security issued a public correction and X's product lead Nikita Bier labeled claims about DHS location "fake news".
- Privacy experts warned that X's VPN/proxy disclaimer could reveal users' true locations, and `So, putting a visible flag on them can make it easier to single out journalists, activists, or users in high-risk countries as 'suspicious' just because they care about privacy`, NordVPN CTO Marijus Briedis said.
168 Articles
168 Articles
From now on you will be able to know details about the location of other X users without using third-party tools
X’s ‘location reveal feature’ reveals fake MAGA accounts
Social media platform X has launched a feature which reveals user location data, uncovering prominent MAGA accounts which are actually based in locations such India and Thailand. The tool drew immediate attention after users noticed that several high engagement “Make America Great Again” accounts that present themselves as American were listed in Eastern Europe, Thailand, Nigeria and […] The post X’s ‘location reveal feature’ reveals fake MAGA a…
Some users of the social network X lie shamelessly about their whereabouts. It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish online between true and fake.
Sudden change on X revealed: Donald Trump loyalist accounts run from African or Asian countries
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