X Clarifies Facts About its New Location Sharing Feature

X clarifies key facts about its new location sharing feature, explaining how it works, what data is shared, and the privacy controls available to users.

X is currently working to resolve inaccuracies in its newly launched location sharing feature as controversy swirls around the transparency of its popular accounts. Recently, the social media company rolled out its “About this account” information panel, aiming to provide users with greater visibility into account origins, user location, username change history, and how each profile was initially set up.

Enhancing Visibility and Building Trust

The core motive behind this initiative is to increase transparency, making it easier for users to distinguish between legitimate profiles, bots, and foreign agents potentially seeking to influence political dynamics in other regions.

As expected, the update exposed several high-profile accounts discussing U.S. politics that are, in fact, operated from outside the United States.

This has reignited concern about foreign influence operations on the platform a valid issue considering X remains a key news and conversation hub for many Americans.​

Inaccuracies and Data Limitations

Despite good intentions, X admits the location information displayed is not yet fully reliable. According to Nikita Bier, X’s Head of Product, some of the location info is not correct as yet due to errors in how the platform previously logged location data.

Legacy database systems and methods used to estimate user locations have proven imprecise. X is actively addressing these issues and expects updates soon.

Bier also acknowledges that older accounts created via VPNs or certain devices can display incorrect country information these errors are slated for correction within days.​

New VPN and Security Updates

X has introduced indicators for VPN usage on user profiles, adding another layer of clarity for users who want to understand the true location of an account.

Notably, Bier clarified that X will not show location details for gray check government accounts to prevent acts of terrorism against government leaders.

Rumors about official accounts, such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security being managed from foreign locations, are unfounded under this policy.​

Expanded User Control and Help Resources

To further support transparency, X refreshed its Help section to guide users on displaying regional information.

According to the updated documentation:

“About this Account is part of your account profile which is publicly available if your account is set to public. X infers this information based on your aggregated IP addresses. You can choose to show the region or country your account is based in by clicking the ‘joined’ date in your profile and selecting the settings gear icon.”

Users now have the flexibility to display either a general region or a specific country on their profile although turning off the location feature completely remains unavailable.​

Industry Insight

While X’s rollout faced PR challenges, this seems to be a positive move in terms of digital accountability.

The feature performs its intended task providing essential context about where users are posting from and helping to reduce possible foreign influence a rising concern amid global political discourse.

The initial backlash may even help boost user awareness of new transparency features.

Bottom Line

For X, the spotlight may feel uncomfortable, but this industry wide push for open practices is ultimately good news for platform integrity and user understanding