New X Location Feature Exposes Political Accounts But Accuracy Is in Question

A new location feature on X reportedly tells users where political accounts on the platform originated, but some are saying that the feature is not accurate.

The new feature was launched on Nov. 21 by the platform's owner, billionaire Elon Musk, but according to NBC News, the feature is not as accurate as it claims to be. Security experts and even former X employees revealed that location information could be faked using technology, such as virtual private networks (VPNs).

Elon Musk rolled out the new feature for X on Nov. 21 that lets users view where an X account originated. The feature is called "About This Account" and reportedly allows X users to see where accounts were based when the user joined the platform. According to The Independent, political enemies began digging and quickly found that the feature is not accurate. Several right-wing influencers and MAGA accounts were found not to have originated in the United States.

Liberal political commentator Harry Sisson loved seeing the accounts exposed, according to his post on X on Nov. 22, which has been viewed more than one million times.

"This is easily one of the greatest days on this platform," he wrote. "Seeing all of these MAGA accounts get exposed as foreign actors trying to destroy the United States is a complete vindication of Democrats, like myself and many on here, who have been warning about this."

Former employees said the idea for the location feature was first brought up back in 2018, but it had been rejected repeatedly. X claims the location feature is 99.99 percent accurate.

The platform's head of product, Nikita Bier, wrote on X, "Upgrade coming in 12 hours. Accuracy will be nearly 99.99 percent," after a user noted the location wasn't "very accurate."

According to the BBC, Donald Trump shared a screenshot on Truth Social from the "TRUMP_ARMY_" X account that claimed a Supreme Court ruling will allow him to deport criminals to El Salvador. The account has more than 500,000 followers, but the account originated in India. The X account also changed its username four times in 2022. The account bio now reads, "The Best is yet to come! An Indian who loves America, President Trump, Musk!"

Two ex-employees of X told NBC News that the geolocation data the company received could be manipulated and wasn't 100 percent accurate. They said that VPN software is common and could alter the location. They added that country-of-origin locations had been pitched since 2018 but were rejected.

One ex-employee told the outlet that the location origin pitches were made after the bot tracking and misinformation tech company Cyabra released a report saying thousands of pro-Trump bots had attacked his competitors during the 2024 presidential election.

Another ex-employee at X said the reason the idea was rejected was U.S. locations could be manipulated and make X an untrusted source.

"At worst, these kinds of features can lull users into a false sense of security when things don’t appear obviously wrong," they said.

Nikita Bier wrote on X that the "rough edges" were being worked out.

"There are a few rough edges that will be resolved by Tuesday," she wrote. "If any data is incorrect, it will be updated periodically based on best available information. This happens on a delayed and randomized schedule to preserve privacy."