Elon Musk’s social media platform X has recently introduced a new feature for user profiles that aims to provide more transparency and authenticity. The feature displays key information about the account, such as the user’s location, the number of times the username has been changed, the original join date, and how the user downloaded the X app. This move is in response to the prevalence of inauthentic engagement on the platform, where bots often impersonate real users, posing a challenge for platforms to maintain integrity, especially in the era of AI.
The concept of this feature was first revealed by X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, in October. Initially, the company tested the feature on Bier’s own account and those of X employees. The goal is to empower users to make informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts they interact with, helping to identify bots or malicious actors seeking to spread misinformation or create discord.
For example, discrepancies between the user’s claimed location in their bio and the actual location displayed on the account information could raise suspicions about the account’s credibility.
Following a user’s request for accounts to display location information, Bier responded by promising to implement the feature within 72 hours. Since then, more users have reported the availability of the “About this account” feature on their profiles.
To access your account information on the X platform, users can click on the “Joined” date on their profile. This leads them to a page showing details such as the join date, location, username changes, and how the user connected to X (e.g., through the U.S. App Store or Google Play).
While some users globally have reported seeing the feature on their profiles, JS has not been able to access this information on other profiles at the time of reporting. This delay could be attributed to X’s strategy to allow users to review and adjust their settings before a broader rollout.
Users have the option to choose whether their profile displays their country or geographical region. Initially intended for regions where free speech could pose risks, even U.S. users can select between showing their country or region/continent. The default setting is to display the country.
To make these adjustments, users can access the “About your account” setting in the X app’s “Privacy and Safety” settings. Additionally, a potential upcoming feature could alert users if they are using a VPN to mask their location, indicating that their country or region may not be accurate.
X has not provided a comment on the feature rollout, but Bier humorously acknowledged the increasing sightings of the feature as it was being introduced.
Similar transparency features have been implemented by other social networks, with Instagram offering a comparable “About this account” feature.
