Earlier this month, X launched a new feature called “About This Account,” designed to enhance transparency around user profiles on its social media platform. While the intent behind this move appears sound in principle, it sparked significant controversy over the weekend when users discovered that the feature revealed the geographic locations of accounts frequently engaged in U.S. political discourse. The feature displays a user’s country or region when their account creation date is clicked—a detail that quickly became a flashpoint for partisan disputes on the platform.

Initial findings spread rapidly. Dozens of highly active pro-Trump and “America First” accounts—many of which presented themselves as being based in the United States—were shown to originate from Eastern Europe, South Asia, Nigeria, and Thailand. Screenshots circulated widely across X throughout Friday, prompting users to scrutinize and categorize accounts that regularly participated in American political debates despite appearing to operate from overseas. Among the flagged profiles were those using patriotic branding, including one named “ULTRAMAGA.”