By Mirna Fahmy
Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has introduced a new feature that publicly displays the geographical location of user accounts on November 22-23, 2025. The change has ignited widespread debate after revealing that numerous influential accounts claiming to be based in one country were actually operated from regions such as Türkiye, South Asia, Nigeria and Eastern Europe. The revelations have intensified concerns about misinformation, foreign influence operations and the involvement of coordinated troll farms.
The location tool relies on geolocation indicators such as IP addresses to estimate where an account is being managed. Although intended to increase transparency and help users verify the authenticity of content, experts caution that the information is not foolproof. The location can be easily masked or manipulated with VPNs or proxies, which many accounts reportedly use to conceal their true origins.
The feature has already had a significant impact on political discourse. Several high-profile pro-MAGA accounts, which had presented themselves as American voices, were shown to be operated from countries including Türkiye, India and Bangladesh. The findings triggered accusations that foreign actors and organized troll networks are actively participating in U.S. political manipulation and disinformation efforts.
In Europe, Euronews analysis of over 30 European far-right accounts using extremist hashtags on November 24, 2025, found several based outside Europe, such as “Make Europe Great Again” accounts in South Asia and Vietnam promoting mass deportations and anti-immigration rhetoric. Other examples include an Australian account posting white supremacy content favoring Nazi-era Germany over multiculturalism.
Despite the apparent benefits, the accuracy of the tool has been questioned. NBC reported that security specialists, social media researchers and two former X employees warned that the displayed locations could be incorrect or spoofed with widely accessible technology. According to the former employees, the idea behind the feature had been discussed internally since at least 2018 but was repeatedly rejected due to concerns about reliability and possible misuse.
The BBC spotlighted the growing controversy earlier this year in an August report involving journalist Motasem Dalloul, who resides in Gaza. X’s location feature showed his account as being based in Poland, prompting criticism from commentators who accused the BBC of amplifying Hamas propaganda — a claim similar to earlier allegations leveled against the broadcaster. The BBC stated that the new tool had misrepresented the locations of several of its high-profile journalists. In Dalloul’s case, the Israeli Foreign Ministry questioned the credibility of his reporting after the location mismatch surfaced. The incident illustrated how inaccuracies in the feature could themselves become sources of misinformation or be weaponised to undermine journalists and public figures. Dalloul later posted a video clarifying the situation and addressing the confusion.
Misidentifications have also appeared in Australia. ABC News was incorrectly listed as based in Ireland, the Australian Labor Party appeared as operating from the United States, the Australian National University’s Strategic Defence Studies account showed as being located in India and Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator appeared as based in the United States.
In the Arab world, the feature has intensified long-standing ideological disputes. Accounts advocating for the revival of ancient Egyptian identity, often calling themselves “Kemet’s people,” and others aligned with Arab nationalism or the Muslim Brotherhood — groups already at odds — began using the location disclosures to accuse one another of inauthenticity. Each group labeled the other as “organized committees” posting disingenuous content that fails to represent their true ideological intentions.
Experts say the new feature may help expose suspicious accounts and highlight potential sources of fake news. However, they stress that it should not be viewed as entirely accurate. While the tool marks a step toward improved transparency, users must remain cautious about accepting online content at face value. Musk has promised an update aimed at 99.99% accuracy.
How has X changed from twitter times?
Since its rebranding in July 2023, X has undergone a dramatic transformation. What was once a microblogging platform has evolved into a multifunctional social and communication app with expanded roles in creator monetization, artificial intelligence and multimedia publishing. Elon Musk’s long-term vision is to turn X into an “everything app,” similar to China’s WeChat, integrating social networking, messaging, payments, audio and video features. The shift was symbolized by the replacement of the platform’s iconic blue bird logo with a minimalist black-and-white “X.”
Changes to content moderation have played a major role in reshaping the platform. Musk loosened many of Twitter’s previous restrictions, emphasizing free speech and reinstating numerous accounts that had been banned under earlier policies. This approach attracted criticism for enabling controversial content and allegedly increasing the prevalence of hate speech, contributing to declining advertiser confidence. Policies related to misgendering and other forms of hateful conduct were relaxed, further intensifying debate.
Among the accounts reinstated were those belonging to U.S. President Donald Trump, Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, satirical outlet The Babylon Bee, clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson, influencer Andrew Tate, comedian Kathy Griffin, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, British commentators Tommy Robinson and Katie Hopkins, and conservative activist group Project Veritas. Many of these reinstatements occurred after Musk conducted polls or revisited platform rules.
X has also pursued aggressive changes to monetization. Creators can now earn revenue from advertisements, while paid subscribers are able to publish lengthy posts of up to 25,000 characters and upload long-form videos including podcasts and full-length episodes. These features are part of a broader effort to position X as a hub for diverse content creators.
The platform’s verification system has also changed significantly. The traditional merit-based blue checkmark system was replaced by a paid subscription model under the platform’s premium tiers, altering how users establish credibility and status.
User experience has continued to evolve. Public “likes” were hidden to reduce social pressure and protect privacy, and the interface has been redesigned to reflect X’s expanding multimedia direction.
In October 2023, six BBC News Arabic reporters were taken off air for liking or posting pro-Palestinian content on social media, prompting debate about impartiality standards within major news organizations. Similar controversies played out across U.S. media. Felicia Sonmez of The Washington Post was dismissed after a series of public disputes with colleagues on the platform, following an earlier suspension for tweeting a link to a story about Kobe Bryant’s past sexual assault allegations shortly after his death — a move that generated widespread backlash. Emily Wilder, a news associate at the Associated Press, was fired in 2021 after conservative activists resurfaced her pro-Palestinian college-era tweets, launching a public pressure campaign that culminated in her dismissal.
Other cases further illustrated the influence of social media behavior on journalists’ careers. Washington Post reporter David Weigel was suspended without pay for a month in 2022 after retweeting a sexist joke, an incident that escalated into a public confrontation with Sonmez. In an earlier example, a Politico reporter was suspended and later fired in 2012 for making opinionated remarks about then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Twitter and television, which Politico said violated its standards of non-partisanship. Beyond journalism, public figures in entertainment have also faced consequences for their posts. Saturday Night Live writer Katie Rich was suspended indefinitely after tweeting an insensitive joke about Barron Trump, Donald Trump’s young son.
In late 2024, the “block” feature on X was altered to be less restrictive after Musk stated the feature “makes no sense”. The change allows users who have been blocked to still see the public posts of the person who blocked them, though they cannot interact with the content. The reasoning given by X is to align with its principles as a “public town square,” and that blocking was not an effective way to deal with online harassment.
The platform introduced a dedicated video tab in early 2025, new group chat capabilities in X Chat and enhanced sorting options for posts.
By mid-to-late 2025, AI-powered tools such as Grok AI were increasingly embedded into user feeds, accompanied by features like text-to-video generation, “Certified Banger” badges for viral posts and improved in-app browsing. Experiments were also conducted on syncing post drafts across devices, adding nicknames in chats and redesigning video sections.
In November 2025, X added in-app YouTube playback, a reader mode for external links, new sorting options for reposts by popularity or recency and a standalone X Chat app, further cementing its shift from a text-based social network to a broad multipurpose digital ecosystem.
Leaving X:
Several major news organizations have stopped posting on their official X accounts in response to the platform’s evolving policies and increasingly volatile environment. The Guardian in the United Kingdom announced its departure in November 2024, expressing concern that X had become a “toxic media platform” where far-right conspiracy theories and disturbing content flourish. In France, Le Monde quit the platform in January 2025, with its editor-in-chief criticizing what he described as a growing “mixture of ideology and commerce” linked to Elon Musk’s political positioning.
Spain’s La Vanguardia left in November 2024, describing X as an “echo chamber” for disinformation and pointing to the proliferation of bots and hateful posts. Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter also stopped publishing on X, stating that the platform had become too closely aligned with the political ambitions of Musk and U.S. president Donald Trump.
In the United States, National Public Radio (NPR) and its affiliates, including WBUR and LAist, ceased using X after being labeled “state-affiliated media,” a designation they considered misleading and inappropriate. PBS soon followed after receiving a similar “government-funded media” label.
Even outside the news industry, long-standing cultural institutions like Playbill departed, saying it could no longer justify participating in a platform where the boundary between factual reporting and “insidious rhetoric” had become blurred.
A significant number of celebrities and public figures have also deactivated their accounts or publicly announced their departure from X. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, host and actress Whoopi Goldberg, and musician Elton John all left, with John specifically citing policy changes that he believed would “allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.” Model Gigi Hadid described the platform as a “cesspool of hate and bigotry,” while television producer Shonda Rhimes declared she had no interest in “hanging around for whatever Elon has planned.”
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon exited after his show on X was cancelled, saying the platform no longer supported honest or meaningful debate. Musicians and entertainers such as Trent Reznor, who criticized the platform as “toxic” and an “embarrassment,” as well as Jim Carrey, Mark Hamill, Toni Braxton, Sara Bareilles and Gabrielle Union also left amid mounting concerns about the platform’s direction.
The reasons for these departures largely converge around four central themes. Many cited Musk’s sweeping changes to content moderation, including the dismissal of key safety teams and the reinstatement of previously banned accounts, which they argued contributed to a rise in hate speech, racism and conspiracy theories. Others pointed to the unchecked spread of misinformation, fueled by reduced moderation oversight and shifting platform policies. A third point of contention involved political alignment, as critics expressed discomfort with Musk’s personal political interventions, his endorsement and advisory role to Donald Trump, and the platform’s perceived shift toward a more conservative or far-right audience. Finally, many users described X as an increasingly hostile and “toxic” environment, no longer a safe space for themselves or for marginalized communities who felt disproportionately targeted by harassment and abusive content.
As X continues to roll out new features while redefining its identity, debates over transparency, accuracy and platform responsibility remain at the center of public scrutiny. The location-revealing tool, in particular, underscores the tensions between enhancing user awareness and risking new forms of confusion — a balance the platform will likely continue to navigate as it evolves.