The New Location Feature On X Reveals That Most “America First” Accounts Are From Countries Like India, Serbia, And Pakistan

A screenshot of the new feature as displayed on the official X account of Fascinating World Media.

On November 21, 2025, Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, started rolling out a new feature that shows the true location of a user’s account. By clicking on “date joined” on a user’s profile, you can access information like where they are based out of, how many times they’ve changed their username, and how they are connected to X. The feature was introduced in an effort to combat misinformation, expose deception, and potentially reveal a user’s intent behind posting certain content. 

Soon after X introduced this, users started to note that many accounts that claimed to be from the United States or the United Kingdom were actually from other countries like India, Nigeria, Pakistan, or Vietnam. While it’s possible for these accounts to hide the exact country they are based out of, X still shows the general region they are from (eg. Europe, North America, South Asia, or West Asia).

Users also noted that oddly, a lot of “America First” accounts in particular, especially those that are overly patriotic or right-wing, were not actually from the United States at all. Most of them were based out of countries far away, and they mostly seemed to be promoting content or policies that would benefit their country. Although it’s perfectly acceptable for users from other countries to support another country or try to influence policies there, what’s not acceptable is being deceptive and hiding one’s true identity. The thing is, a lot of these accounts blatantly lie in their profile, claiming to be from the U.S. (or another country, for that matter), to seem more reputable and relatable. When X put out this new location feature, this sense of false reputation or relatability for these accounts crumbled.

The vast majority of X users are in support of this new feature, but it has also received some backlash. Critics argue that the feature raises serious privacy concerns, especially for dissidents, whistleblowers, or users who are living under oppressive regimes and relying on anonymity for safety. Although X maintains that users can choose to show only broad regional data, privacy advocates fear that even this limited information could put vulnerable people at risk or enable targeted harassment. In addition, some have also pointed out that authoritarian governments might use the feature as justification to demand more invasive data disclosures from platforms.

A screenshot of Tesla’s official X account showing where to click to access the location dashboard.

Another central concern, brought up by many X users themselves, is the potential for the feature to be weaponized. X is already notorious for the pervasiveness of stereotypes and bias, and by making such regional indicators available, users might harass others, dismiss opinions, or delegitimize legitimate viewpoints simply based on where a person is from. Others also mention that the change creates a new incentive for technical workarounds, such as VPNs or burner devices, to mask true locations, which could end up harming transparency rather than improving it.

Albeit the criticism, the feature still shines a much-needed light on coordinated influence campaigns, foreign political meddling, and bot networks that masquerade as grassroots voices. Supporters see it as a step toward a more honest public square, especially one in which users can judge the context and intent of online messages more clearly.

A day or so after the rollout, X briefly paused the feature, before reinstating it again. The feature also appeared to be bugged at times, showing that users were based out of a location that really weren’t. This feature came as a surprise to many, but it’s been in the works for a while. For instance, Nikita Bier, the Head of Product at X, posted on the following on October 14, 2025:

“When you read content on X, you should be able to verify its authenticity. This is critical to getting a pulse on important issues happening in the world. As part of that, we're experimenting with displaying new information on profiles, including which country an account is based, among other details. Starting next week, we will surface this on a handful of profiles of X team members to get feedback.”

As the rollout continues, its long-term impact on digital discourse is not so clear. It will likely push social media toward greater authenticity and accountability, but it might deepen ongoing debates about privacy, discrimination, and online identity as well. What is certain is that X’s new feature has already started up conversations about who we trust and why—and how much our understanding of online communities depends on the information we’re not supposed to see.