- The feature reveals country of connection, country of creation and name changes, as well as the app store used to register.
- It was briefly activated and then withdrawn due to geolocation errors, as acknowledged by the product manager of X.
- There will be privacy settings to show country or region and a warning label if VPN use is detected.
- X plans to relaunch it after correcting inaccuracies, with a gradual rollout and additional controls.
The social network X (formerly Twitter) is testing 'About this account', a tool that adds More context on the origin and historical activity of the profilesThe data it displays includes the country of publication, the country of creation, and name changes, with the aim of increase transparency and detect inauthentic accounts.
During its brief initial rollout, the feature generated both interest and doubts: It was activated and shortly afterwards disappeared without official announcementX admitted there were geolocation errors, and its product team pointed out factors such as VPNs or Starlink connections resulted in inaccurate readingsTherefore, work is underway on a corrected version.
What does 'About this account' show?
When it was visible, this section opened by clicking on the profile creation date and brought together technical data to contextualize the origin of the accountIts stated objective is to provide the reader with additional signals to assess the authenticity of the content they see on X.
- Current country of publication: It is calculated using signals such as the device's IP address and other network sources.
- Country where the account was created: indicates where the profile was originally registered.
- Identifier history: Number of username changes and date of the last change.
- App origin: the store from which it was downloaded (for example, Google Play or App Store) and the type of access to the service.
Why did he disappear after a few hours?
After the first few hours of use, some profiles appeared to be located in the wrong country; for example, Users in Canada were listed as if they were posting from the United States.Nikita Bier, X's product manager, publicly acknowledged these inaccuracies and associated them with routing and masking techniques that distort the main signal.
In order to minimize false positives, X is adjusting the geolocation criteria and calibrating the combination of network signalsThe company has indicated that, once the most frequent errors are corrected, The show will return in stages. to verify its reliability before a general deployment.
Privacy, settings, and warning labels
The location displayed by the system is determined automatically and It is not editable by the userIn the observed tests, the default option was country, although X proposed a privacy setting for show only a wider region when sharing the country could pose an additional risk.
In addition, the app's code included a new feature on the way: a warning label For accounts using VPNs, a warning would appear stating that 'the country or region may not be accurate'. This measure aims to prevent IP address changes from misleading other users who view the profile.
For those who use X in Spain and the rest of Europe, the balance between transparency and privacy is key: it is advisable Review the Privacy and Security sections when the function is reactivated, and assess whether it is preferable to display the country or a generic region based on the risk profile, as well as how to protect your privacy.
What is it for and what are its limits?
According to X, the purpose is to contribute Provenance signals that help identify bots, coordinated networks, or disinformation campaignsespecially when a profile appears to be from one country but its technical trace points to another.
Even so, the company acknowledges that it is not definitive proof: VPNs, certain satellite infrastructures Routing errors can distort the location. Therefore, it is advisable to treat this information as one more indicator and compare it with other evidence before drawing conclusions.
Availability and next steps
The initial activation was limited and It began with internal accounts to detect errors before a wide release. Public access was granted by clicking on the profile creation date, where the data block appeared under the label 'About this account'.
There is no official schedule yet, but everything points to a progressive relaunch Once the inaccuracies are ironed out, it will be useful to check which visibility option (country or region) is selected. if any label is displayed for VPN use that clarifies the accuracy of the location.
The big picture is that X is preparing a feature designed to provide context about the origin of profiles, with country data, registration and name changesAlthough its launch highlighted the technical challenges of accurately locating millions of users, its usefulness will depend on whether it ultimately returns. the quality of geolocation and that the privacy settings offer sufficient control to users in Spain and the rest of Europe.
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