X under fire: Location feature raises privacy, reliability concerns

• X’s new location feature, designed to boost transparency, faces criticism over VPN spoofing and potential privacy risks.

In early November 2025, X (formerly Twitter) introduced a new transparency feature that displays users’ approximate locations based on various signals, including IP addresses.

The tool was designed to combat misinformation and foreign influence, particularly after revelations about overseas-operated political accounts. However, the rollout has sparked controversy, with critics raising concerns about both its accuracy and privacy implications.

Read more: X’s location feature: How a simple update exposed where accounts really operate

VPNs: The Achilles’ Heel of Location Accuracy

One of the most prominent criticisms is the feature’s vulnerability to virtual private networks (VPNs), which can mask a user’s true location and make accounts appear to originate from other countries. This has led to skepticism about the tool’s reliability, particularly when high-profile accounts flagged as foreign claim US ties.

Users have highlighted that VPNs not only allow location spoofing but can also trigger disclaimers on profiles, sometimes leading to false assumptions of fraud or deception. Some users have pointed out glitches even without VPNs, suggesting that the feature can mislabel accounts due to routing errors, proxies, or outdated IP data.

X representatives have acknowledged these limitations, noting that the feature can be partially spoofed by VPNs. While tags indicating VPN use are added and updated randomly to prevent abuse, many remain unconvinced of its accuracy, particularly in politically sensitive contexts.

Privacy Concerns

Beyond technical flaws, the feature has sparked privacy alarms. Critics describe it as “mandatory doxxing” or a risky overreach that exposes individuals to harassment, surveillance, or political persecution. Users in restricted regions or involved in sensitive communities, such as cryptocurrency or political opposition, fear that revealing their locations,even approximately, could put them at risk.

Although X allows users to hide specific details or show only broad regions, the default rollout has been criticized as invasive and potentially discouraging open discourse.

Political Response

Amid the uproar, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley praised the feature for promoting transparency, particularly in exposing foreign influence on social media. She did not, however, address concerns about VPN spoofing or privacy risks. No other major US politicians have publicly commented on these aspects as of the time this article is published. 

Technical Rollout and Ongoing Issues

The feature, officially part of the “About this account” profile section, was rolled out on November 22, 2025. It displays details such as the country where an account was created and its current base, derived from signals like IP addresses.

Almost immediately, inaccuracies appeared. Some accounts were mislabeled due to VPNs, routing issues, or outdated IP information, and a small subset of older accounts briefly showed incorrect creation locations. Hours after launch, X removed the “Date Joined” section from the display to address errors, but the “Account based in” feature remained active.

X’s product director acknowledged these “rough edges” and promised fixes, including improved VPN detection, while the feature remains partially operational for most users. Reports indicate ongoing bugs, with some users seeing incorrect data for both current location and app store region indicators.

X’s location feature illustrates the delicate balance between transparency and privacy in the digital age. While the tool aims to combat misinformation and foreign influence, its vulnerabilities to VPNs and the potential risks to users’ safety have fueled debate over whether such measures ultimately enhance trust or undermine it.