Elon Musk’s X has started rolling out a feature that shows detailed information about user accounts, including their location, the number of username changes, the original join date, and how the user downloaded the app. The company introduced this feature to curb fake engagement, especially from bots pretending to be real people—an issue that has become even more complicated in the era of AI.
X first revealed plans for the feature in October when the platform’s head of product, Nikita Bier, announced that the company would test these profile details on his account and those of X employees. The goal is to help users quickly assess whether an account is genuine or potentially a bot or malicious actor trying to spread misinformation or cause disruption. For example, if a profile claims to be from a U.S. state but the system shows the account is based overseas, users may recognize the inconsistency and question the account’s intentions.
Last weekend, when someone asked Elon Musk to require accounts to show their location, Bier replied with, “Give me 72 hours.” Since then, more users have reported seeing the new “About this account” section on their profiles.
Users can access the feature on the web or in the mobile app by tapping their profile’s “Joined” date. The page reveals the join date, account location, number of username changes, the date of the most recent change, and where the user connected from—such as the U.S. App Store or Google Play.
Although many users say the feature now appears on their own accounts, TechCrunch reported that it still cannot view this information on other people’s profiles. X may be giving users time to review their details for accuracy and adjust their privacy settings before launching the feature widely.
X also allows users to choose whether their profile displays their country or only their broader region or continent. The company originally planned this option for areas where free speech carries risks, but even users in the United States can switch between country or region display. Country appears as the default setting. Users can change this under the “About your account” option in the “Privacy and Safety” section of the app.
A reverse engineer digging through X’s app code also discovered hints of another upcoming feature: a warning label for users connecting through a VPN. If launched, this label would alert others that the displayed location may not reflect the user’s actual country or region. X has not confirmed when—or if—this VPN warning will go live.
The company did not respond to requests for comment on the ongoing rollout. X is not the first social platform to introduce transparency tools. Instagram has offered a similar “About this account” feature for years, giving users deeper insight into who they are interacting with online.
