Twitter, now known as X under the ownership of Elon Musk, has just completely reversed course on how transparent users should expect to be. A new feature, “About This Account,” which rolled out on Friday, does just that. It assists users in identifying deceptive account sources on the platform. This change is a step in the right direction to fight misinformation and help users learn more about where content is coming from.
The tool has already produced significant revelations. Users on X have falsely identified their locations and their actual IP addresses have shown them to be located somewhere else entirely. A Reddit user appropriately titled that screenshot “CEO level sarcasm.” It portrayed an organic-looking woman who pretended to be from Texas, but she was apparently running things from within Russia. As of Sunday afternoon, the person’s account had a U.S. location listed, although that does not guarantee such profiles are real.
As The Daily Beast revealed, many of these big-name MAGA influencers are, in fact, foreign actors. They use social media as a tool to shape public discourse. That one example, MAGA Scope, which has gained more than 51,000 followers this way, is based in Nigeria. MAGA Beacon is based out of South Asia. On the other hand, MAGANationX, which has over 397,000 followers and describes its mission as being the “Patriot Voice for We The People,” is operated out of Eastern Europe.
These findings have stirred discussions globally about the state of online discourse. Liberal influencer Harry Sisson reacted taking to X, known as Twitter, bemoaning the meaning of these findings.
“Seeing all of these MAGA accounts get exposed as foreign actors trying to destroy the United States is a complete vindication of Democrats, like myself and many on here, who have been warning about this.” – Harry Sisson
Sisson further noted the significance of the new transparency tool, stating:
“This is easily one of the greatest days on this platform.” – Harry Sisson
These findings about the extent of these foreign-operated accounts have already set off alarms among users who appreciate realness on their social media platforms. The introduction of the “About This Account” tool may serve to illuminate the shadowy operations behind some of the most influential voices in the MAGA movement.
Twitter/X is rapidly changing its rules and enforcement mechanisms with each passing day under Musk’s reign. They should look forward to further innovations that will increase accountability and foster a more open atmosphere.