X's public user location feature sparks privacy controversy: Does it prevent fake accounts or lead to class differentiation?

The social platform X, owned by Elon Musk, recently activated the “About Account” feature, claiming to prevent fake accounts by displaying the account's creation region and name change history. However, it sparked controversy as a large number of political accounts “disguised as Americans” were revealed to be overseas individuals, leading to issues of privacy leakage, as well as class and racial division. Many encryption professionals have expressed their views on this.

X exposes the user's location, the true identity of the fake MAGA account is revealed.

X has recently updated the account information page, allowing users to click on their profile to view the account location, registration time, and name change history, emphasizing that this move aims to mitigate the influence of bots and malicious foreign accounts.

About account (: This account shows the join date, creation location, and number of name changes.

However, the launch of this feature caused chaos, with a large number of accounts claiming to be patriots labeled as located in Eastern Europe, South Asia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, or Thailand, and the platform was instantly flooded with witch hunts, mockery, and political offensives.

At the same time, it was reported that the US Department of Homeland Security )DHS( account showed a location from “Israel”, triggering a public opinion storm. DHS denied this, claiming that the image was fabricated, and X also urgently removed the feature. After coming back online, DHS has been exempted from showing its location.

Privacy Backlash: Mandatory Nationality Disclosure Becomes the “New Class System in the Digital World”

Although users can change the display method from “country” to “region”, they cannot completely turn it off, which has also led to criticism for forcing the disclosure of private personal information.

Helius CEO 0xMert pointed out that this feature forces regular users to turn it on, but government agencies or other privileged accounts can avoid displaying geographic information, which is a clear class differentiation.

)Is the personal data of Americans being transferred from TikTok to Oracle, making personal privacy and algorithmic push notifications safer? (

Nic Carter: The United States acknowledges that “not everyone can freely participate in public forums”

Nic Carter, a partner at Castle Island Ventures, views this event as an ideological turning point, as the United States re-examines the boundaries of community openness:

He pointed out that the United States has long adhered to an open internet, allowing global users to engage in domestic public discourse; however, this goodwill has come at a tremendous cost, including rampant fraud, hate speech, and foreign interference in politics:

X's new approach is tantamount to acknowledging that we have no obligation to make the entire world a member of our public square.

Vitalik: Effective in the short term but ineffective in the medium term, retroactive disclosure harms user privacy.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin criticized this policy from both technical and ethical perspectives.

Technical aspect: It will be bypassed in the future.

Vitalik pointed out that professional operation teams can easily forge “accounts from the United States” by renting IPs, mobile phones, and data.

In six months, the location tags of those political bot accounts will change to the United States or the United Kingdom.

Privacy aspect: Mandatory disclosure is a flawed design.

He also emphasized that although geographic information may reveal only a small amount of privacy, it can still be quite dangerous for certain high-risk groups:

The platform should not retroactively deprive users of privacy when there are no alternative options.

Beau calls: It's time to review the KOLs and projects you are following.

Another encryption KOL, Beau, holds a practical viewpoint. He believes that since the tools exist, users should actively use them to audit:

Is the KOL you are following a real account?

Will the KOL you adopt suggestions have a fake identity?

Does the project or team you invested in tell the truth?

In an era where it is difficult to discern the truth from falsehood, and where profit manipulation and encryption scams are rampant, identity transparency may help users rely more on public opinion and investment decisions.

Transparency, privacy, and identity politics are caught in a tug-of-war.

X The “location disclosure” feature this time is not just a regular product update; it also touches on multiple issues such as global internet governance, privacy autonomy, political manipulation, and digital identity, and the ripple effects are still fermenting.

As information warfare intensifies and the era of AI approaches, the controversy between platform transparency and user privacy is likely to increase.

This article discusses the privacy controversy of the X platform's user location feature: does it curb fake accounts or lead to class differentiation? Originally appeared in Chain News ABMedia.