Based in US or Nigeria? X location feature fuels scrutiny over political accounts

WASHINGTON – Mr Elon Musk’s social media platform X erupted in uproar after the roll-out of a feature revealing an account’s location, exposing what users describe as global troll farms and influence operations on the platform – including support for US President Donald Trump.

X’s head of product Nikita Bier launched the feature over the weekend, allowing users “to see the country or region where an account is based”, in a bid to boost transparency on a platform that tech experts say is rife with disinformation.

“This is an important first step to securing the integrity of the global town square,” he wrote on X.

The launch triggered a wave of online sleuthing.

Almost immediately, the platform was flooded with posts flagging dozens of right-wing internet personalities – promoters of Mr Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) or “America First” political slogans – whose location data showed they were in Nigeria, Bangladesh or Eastern Europe.

Influential pro-Trump accounts that present themselves as US-based but actually operate overseas have circulated 31 false claims over the past 15 months – including allegations of Democratic corruption – according to a NewsGuard analysis using the location feature.

The feature also seemed to vindicate researchers who warned during the 2024 US presidential election that a network of MAGA accounts – posing as “Trump-supporting independent women” and using stolen photos of European models and influencers – was operating overseas.

“X’s new account info showed many of these ‘American’ women were actually based in Thailand, with some tied to Myanmar,” Mr Benjamin Strick, the London-based director of investigations at the Centre for Information Resilience, told AFP.

“Before this change, we could show these profiles were fake, but we had almost no visibility on where they were run from, and often had to rely on ‘slip ups’ posted by the accounts, time posting patterns and irregularities in language,” he added.

“Now we can see that many of the accounts in this specific network are linked to South-east Asia, which brings us closer to understanding who might be behind them.”

“Rough edges”

Reflecting a hyperpolarised political climate, some right-wing personalities also pointed fingers at left-wing users, seemingly posting from suspicious locations.

X, however, cautioned that the location data “may not be accurate and can change periodically”.

When users clicked on an account’s location, a pop-up noted: “The country or region that an account is based can be impacted by recent travel or temporary relocation.”

Some users may also be connected via a VPN that can mask their real location.

“There are a few rough edges that will be resolved by Tuesday,” Mr Bier wrote after the feature’s launch.

On Nov 23, Mr Bier said an “upgrade” was upcoming that will ensure “accuracy will be nearly 99.99 per cent”.

Some users criticised the launch, warning that it could expose the locations of dissidents and protestors in autocratic states.

Mr Bier, however, said that for users in countries “where speech has penalties”, the feature includes privacy toggles that reveal only the region.

Soon after the launch, some apparent imposter accounts with vast followings were suddenly taken down without any explanation.

One X handle posing as a fan account for Ms Ivanka Trump, the President’s daughter, was suspended after users noted that its location was listed as Nigeria.

The account, which had amassed more than one million followers, regularly posted pro-Trump content as well as Islamophobic and anti-immigration messages.

X did not respond to AFP’s request for comment on the suspension.

As tech platforms scale back content moderation and reduce their reliance on human fact-checkers, disinformation researchers warn of a growing threat from Russian and Chinese actors seeking to sow political chaos in Western countries – as well as from overseas influencers driven by the prospect of monetary gain.

The new feature “shines a light on a fundamental problem with social media today: paid actors are deliberately inflaming difficult issues because controversy attracts attention”, the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Professor Amy Bruckman told AFP.

“It’s a difficult situation, and I believe we need more trustworthy platforms that don’t allow people to behave badly.”

In October, X laid off half of its engineering team responsible for fighting influence operations, spam and illegal content on the platform, reflecting a push to replace staff with artificial intelligence, The Information reported on Nov 24. AFP