‘X’ triggered intense backlash after introducing a feature that displays the region where an account is based. The information appears in a new “About This Account” section, which the company said would improve transparency across the platform. Head of product Nikita Bier framed the rollout as the first step toward strengthening the integrity of what X calls the “global town square.”
The update, however, alarmed many users. Some argued that publicly revealing an account’s origin could endanger people in countries with restricted speech or expose them to harassment, calling it a form of forced doxxing. Others pointed out that the feature could be misleading, since users who created accounts through VPNs could show incorrect or unintended locations.
Shortly after the backlash, X removed location details for some accounts. Bier acknowledged the data wasn’t entirely reliable—particularly for older accounts—and said the feature needed refinement. He noted that the company plans to restore the updated version of the location display early in the following week.
