X ROLLS OUT FEATURE TO DISPLAY ACCOUNTS’ COUNTRY OF ORIGIN TO CURB MISINFORMATION
Read Time:1 Minute, 38 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has begun rolling out a new feature that allows some users to see the country where an account is based, as part of efforts to enhance transparency and combat foreign interference and misinformation.
Although the update is not yet visible to all users, those with access can navigate to an account’s bio, tap on the date the account joined X, and view its country of origin. The feature also displays additional profile data such as where and when the account was created, its verification status, the number of times the username has been changed, and which country’s app store it was connected through.
According to X’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, who announced the development in an October 14 post, the feature is intended to boost content authenticity and provide users with better context on what they read online.
“When you read content on X, you should be able to verify its authenticity. This is critical to getting a pulse on important issues happening in the world. As part of that, we’re experimenting with displaying new information on profiles, including which country an account is based, among other details,” Bier stated, adding that initial testing would begin with selected profiles of X team members.
Supporters of the feature believe that showing an account’s country-based label will make it easier to identify profiles propagating misinformation, engaging in cross-border manipulation, farming engagement unethically, or impersonating users from other countries.
However, critics have raised serious privacy concerns, warning that some users may not be comfortable with their country being publicly displayed. In response, X has introduced an option for users to select a broader geographical region or even show only their continent instead of their exact country.
The feature is currently being introduced on a limited basis as part of X’s ongoing strategy to improve content verification and foster accountability on the platform.
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