New Location Feature on X Raises Privacy Concerns

Canadian researchers tracking online misinformation are expressing both support and concern over a new feature on X, formerly known as Twitter, that reveals user account locations. This feature, rolled out on Friday, aims to shed light on potentially fraudulent accounts and foreign actors attempting to influence Canadian politics.

However, experts caution that the feature is prone to errors and should be approached with skepticism. For instance, influential accounts associated with the U.S. President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement are reported to be located in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Nigeria, raising questions about foreign influence.

Additionally, accounts purportedly sharing pleas from families in Gaza are inaccurately listed as being based in India. One notable Conservative-leaning account with over 150,000 followers is incorrectly identified as being in Italy, while an Alberta sovereignty account with 15,000 followers is shown to be in Thailand.

This discrepancy has led to inquiries directed at X, with representatives from the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party indicating that their accounts are managed from Canada, despite being inaccurately listed as based in the U.S.

Experts like Philip Mai, co-director of the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, explain that the inaccuracies may stem from X's reliance on aggregated IP addresses to determine location, which can be misleading.

Mai's own account was mistakenly listed as being in Germany after his travel there. While the new feature is intended to combat misinformation and foreign interference, it poses risks for individuals using VPNs, which can mask their locations for safety, especially for activists and journalists in repressive countries.

Mika Desblancs-Patel of the Media Ecosystem Observatory appreciates the increased transparency but questions the durability of the feature in exposing bad actors, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking when interpreting location data.

The introduction of this location feature highlights ongoing debates about data privacy and accuracy on social media platforms, as users and researchers navigate the complexities of online information in the current digital landscape.