TLDR
- X launched a new feature showing the country/region where accounts are based by clicking on join dates
- Many MAGA-branded accounts claiming to be American patriots are actually located in Eastern Europe, Thailand, Nigeria, and Bangladesh
- The feature was designed by X’s head of product Nikita Bier to help verify content authenticity and limit troll farm influence
- X determines location using sign-up IP addresses, app store regions, and account access history
- X warns that location data may be inaccurate due to recent travel or temporary relocation
X rolled out a new transparency feature over the weekend that shows where accounts are located. Users can now click on any account’s join date to see the country or region where that account is based.
The feature immediately sparked widespread attention on the platform. Many high-engagement accounts that present themselves as American political voices turned out to be operating from overseas locations.
One account called “ULTRAMAGA 🇺🇸 TRUMP🇺🇸2028” claims to be based in Washington, D.C. but X lists its location as Africa. The account has built a following by posting about US politics.
Another account called “Trump Is My President” was shown to be based in Macedonia before it was deleted. An account with the username @American, featuring a bald eagle over an American flag as its profile picture, appears to be based in South Asia.
The account “MAGA NATION” has nearly 400,000 followers and posts frequently about US politics. X shows this account is actually based in Eastern Europe.
X’s head of product Nikita Bier announced the feature last month. He said it would help users verify content authenticity and reduce influence from troll farms.
How the Location System Works
X determines account location using several data points. These include sign-up IP addresses, app store regions, and account access history.
The platform added a warning message that appears when users click on location information. It states that location data can be affected by recent travel or temporary relocation.
Three NBC News journalists found their X locations showed places they had recently traveled to instead of where they are actually based. This raised questions about the system’s accuracy.
Bier responded to concerns about accuracy on Sunday night. He said the system was still evolving and that an upgrade would happen the next day.
The feature allows users in countries where free speech carries risks to hide their exact location. These users can choose to show only their region instead.
Background on Bot Accounts
Inauthentic accounts have been an issue on X and other social media platforms for over a decade. Russian government operations allegedly used such accounts on Twitter during the 2016 US election.
Elon Musk promised to address bot accounts when he bought Twitter in 2022. He conducted several purges that removed many accounts early in his ownership.
Studies show that suspected inauthentic activity has remained at consistent levels on the platform since Musk’s purchase. Detection methods for identifying fake accounts have proven unreliable over the years.
Some users also tried to identify left-leaning foreign accounts. They pointed to an unofficial Democratic Socialists of America account with a few hundred followers that X listed as being in Portugal. The verified DSA account has over 300,000 followers.
The New York Times found accounts posting about US politics based in Thailand, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. The Guardian reported that some prominent MAGA movement figures on X are based in Russia, Nigeria, and India.
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