The social network X, owned by Elon Musk, has introduced an innovative transparency feature — users' profiles now reveal the country or region where the accounts are registered. This information can be found under the «About This Account» tab, which also shows the account creation date and name change history. This is reported by The New York Times.
Product head Nikita Bir stated that this is «the first step towards ensuring the integrity of the global public square». The company plans to expand its functionality by adding new tools for content authenticity verification.
The launch of this feature has elicited mixed reactions. Users have noticed that several accounts actively discussing political issues in the US were registered in other countries, including Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Thailand. This has raised suspicions about the true ownership of these profiles.
Particular attention has been drawn to accounts frequently reposted by Elon Musk himself, significantly increasing their visibility.
Criticism and Risks
Critics express concerns that the new feature could pose risks to safety and privacy. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin warned that the system is prone to manipulation: accounts could fake their locations, posing as users from the US or the UK. This, in his view, opens the door for foreign trolls and political campaigns.
Some members of the crypto community described the new feature as «psychotic», as it could expose real users to danger by revealing their locations without adequate protection.
Political Context
The function has already become a topic of discussion in the US, where users have begun to verify the origins of accounts spreading political messages. It was discovered that some accounts associated with the MAGA (Make America Great Again) brand are registered outside the country. This has raised new questions about foreign influence on the American political discourse.
Additionally, a US court lawsuit revealed internal documents where social media employees compared their platforms to drugs.
