Elon Musk’s X has started rolling out a new feature for user profiles that will show information about the account, including its location, the number of times the account has changed its username, the account’s original join date, and how the user downloaded the X app.
The new information is intended to reduce inauthentic engagement on the platform, where bots often masquerade as humans — a problem that could become even harder to police in the age of AI.
X’s plan to display account location information was first announced in October by Nikita Bier, X’s head of product. Bier stated the company would test this feature on profiles, beginning with his own account and those of X employees. The rationale behind this is to help users determine the authenticity of an account, whether they are interacting with a genuine individual or a potential bot or malicious actor trying to spread misinformation or cause conflict.
For example, if an account’s bio claims the user is in the U.S. but the new information shows they are based overseas, it could raise suspicion about their true motives.
The urgency of this feature was highlighted recently when Bier promised “72 hours” in response to a user who publicly asked Elon Musk to mandate that accounts show their location.
In the days since, more people have seen the “About this account” feature become public on their own profiles.
You can view your account information on the web or within the X mobile app by selecting the “Joined” date on your profile. This action reveals a page detailing:
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The date you created your Twitter/X account.
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The geographical location where your account is based.
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The total number of username changes.
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The date of the most recent username change.
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The platform through which you connect to X (e.g., the U.S. App Store or Google Play).
Specifically, X allows users to adjust whether the feature displays their country or shows their geographical region. Originally, the company had stated that this would be an option in areas where free speech could have penalties. Still, we’re discovering that even U.S. users can choose to set their profile to display either their country or their region/continent.
To make the change, you can access the “About your account” setting under the X app’s “Privacy and Safety” settings.
A reverse engineer examining the app’s code discovered that X is reportedly working on a new feature that would issue a warning on user accounts if they are using a VPN to mask their location. It is currently unclear if or when this feature will be implemented, but if it does go live, it would notify others that the user’s “country or region may not be accurate.”
X has not responded to a request for comment regarding the rollout. However, Bier made a lighthearted remark about the recent sightings, suggesting that people have begun to notice the feature as it is being released.
