"X visitors were able to go to any users' profile page, click on their join date to view a new "About this account" page which revealed exactly which nation an account was based. This information differed from the usual "Location" detail on an X profile page, as it showed exactly where an account was posting from based on their IP address, not what the user input themselves."
"Along with the current country of origin, the "About this page" also displayed where a user resided when first creating the account. One X user reported that their join date location was inaccurately displayed as Korea. "We identified the problem: it looks like you used a VPN to register your account in '22," Bier said to that user. "We are adding a indicator on that row on Monday for Android and iOS-and it will be live on web tomorrow.""
X rolled out a feature showing each account's country of origin based on IP-derived posting location accessible via the join date on profile pages. The display was distinct from user-provided Location fields and revealed where accounts were posting from. Users broadly praised the disclosure but the country indicator was removed hours later without notice. X's head of product, Nikita Bier, had demoed the feature and replied to users reporting incorrect country data. Reported errors included Starlink connections causing U.S. locations for Canadian users and VPNs causing incorrect join-date countries; X planned indicator and fixes for mobile and web.
Read at Mashable
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