X’s New Location Feature Sparks Global Uproar

Elon Musk’s X has ignited a global storm after rolling out a feature that publicly displays the country or region an account is based in.

Marketed as a transparency tool, the update quickly triggered mass online investigations, with users identifying dozens of political account, —many promoting pro-Trump, MAGA, or “America First” narratives, that appeared to be operating from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Eastern Europe, Thailand, and Myanmar rather than the United States.

NewsGuard’s analysis found that some of these overseas-run accounts had circulated more than 30 false claims over the past 15 months. Researchers say the feature validates long-standing warnings about coordinated influence networks posing as U.S. voters.

X cautioned that the data may not always be accurate due to VPNs, travel, or temporary relocations, but said accuracy would soon reach “99.99%.”

Critics argue the feature could expose dissidents in authoritarian states, though X says users in high-risk countries can limit visibility to regional information.

The update arrives weeks after X cut half of the engineering team responsible for combating influence operations, deepening concerns about foreign actors exploiting looser moderation.