Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has introduced a new feature that allows users to see the country of origin for other accounts, aiming to enhance transparency and tackle foreign interference and misinformation.
The feature, currently being rolled out to a limited group, enables users to navigate to an account’s bio, tap on the join date, and access information including the account’s country of creation, verification status, and the number of username changes.
X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, explained that the update is intended to help users verify content authenticity and stay better informed about global issues. “In a couple of hours, we’ll be rolling out About This Account globally, allowing you to see the country or region where an account is based. This will be accessible by tapping the signup date on profiles,” Bier wrote.
He added, “This is an important first step to securing the integrity of the global town square. We plan to provide many more ways for users to verify the authenticity of the content they see on X. And for those in countries where speech has penalties, we’ve included privacy toggles to only show your region.”
The feature will initially be tested with X team members before expanding to a broader audience. While supporters argue that it will help identify accounts spreading misinformation, critics have raised privacy concerns, noting the potential risks for users who may not want to publicly disclose their location.
To address these concerns, X allows users to display a broader region or continent instead of a specific country. This rollout forms part of X’s ongoing efforts to improve content verification and provide users with greater context for the information they encounter on the platform.