In a move that might finally ruin the fun for a lot of troll accounts hiding behind fake locations, X (formerly known as Twitter) announced that it will soon start adding more data to user profiles. This includes when an account was created, location info, username changes… and yes, whether you’re sneakily masquerading behind a VPN.
This might not seem like a big deal until you realize just how many accounts on X exist solely to stir up chaos, post about foreign politics, and provoke people just for the sport of it. Suddenly, knowing where someone actually is becomes shockingly relevant. Who knew?
X is rolling out an “About this profile” element, which will let anyone tap through and see:
This isn’t going to be plastered over every tweet, don’t worry, it won’t ruin your scroll, but it’s basically giving users a magnifying glass for spotting suspicious activity. Think of it as “CSI: X Edition” for social media. Finally, all those hours arguing with strangers might pay off.
Foreign operations have been using platforms like X to amplify propaganda, sow confusion, and generally make humans question humanity itself. Microsoft has flagged huge influence campaigns from China targeting U.S. platforms. Google alone shut down over 10,000 YouTube channels in 2025 linked to coordinated Chinese operations, plus hundreds tied to Russia.
With X lowering moderation buffers in the name of “free speech,” it’s become an even juicier target. This new data could act as a countermeasure, giving users the context to call out, fact-check, or just quietly judge suspicious accounts from the comfort of their couches.
Soon, X will flag if an account is using a VPN. That’s right, the days of pretending you’re in Omaha while posting propaganda from Moscow might be numbered. This feature is designed to help users figure out why someone is posting about foreign affairs, and maybe even why they feel so passionately about issues they literally can’t vote on.
Of course, this only works if people actually, you know, look at it. If users ignore the “About this profile” info, the foreign trolls still get to play chess while the rest of us play checkers.
With the new features, users will have:
If awareness is raised, the impact of foreign influence campaigns could decrease, or at least, it will make people feel smarter while scrolling. Because nothing screams digital empowerment like realizing Karen debating tax policy is actually tweeting from halfway across the globe.
X’s “About this profile” update is a win for context, transparency, and general digital hygiene. Users now get more info on who they’re reading, arguing with, or silently judging. It may not solve all the chaos, but it’s a start.
And yes, for anyone hiding behind a VPN while tweeting from a beach in Bali: good luck. X is coming for you, one painfully obvious data point at a time.
