Mon, 24 Nov 2025

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 How X's new location feature exposed big US politics accounts

Dozens of pro-Trump accounts are being accused of misleading followers after the social media site began showing user locations.

* Dozens of high-engagement accounts on X have been accused of misleading users
* Users on X seized on examples of pro-Trump and anti-Trump accounts that posted about US politics, but which turned out to be based outside the US
* Posts from some of the accounts have attracted millions of impressions, potentially resulting in payment for the account holders
* X's new "about this account" tab shows user locations, but BBC Verify found examples where this information was inaccurate or misleading
* Some accounts claimed to be from Scotland and posted about Scottish independence, but were actually accessing X from Iran using a VPN
* Many of these accounts had blue ticks, indicating they were part of X's Premium feature and could potentially earn money from their posts
* Researchers say there are often mixed motivations for why an account may not be transparent about its location, including making a buck by pretending to be American or being run by troll farms or nation states
* X's new feature may have some limitations, as bad actors may find ways to adapt and circumvent the system using VPNs or other methods.
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