X is rolling out a powerful new transparency tool aimed at combating one of social media’s most persistent problems: coordinated foreign influence campaigns designed to manipulate public discourse. The platform’s new “About this profile” feature will reveal critical account information that could help users identify and contextualize suspicious activity from accounts masquerading as local commentators.

What the New Feature Reveals

The [About this profile feature will display when an account was created, the account creator’s location, historical username changes, and—most significantly—whether an account is using a VPN to mask its true location][1]. This data is accessible through a dedicated section on user profiles, giving X users unprecedented visibility into the accounts shaping conversations on their feeds.

The feature addresses a critical gap in platform transparency. Foreign operations regularly target social media platforms to amplify propaganda and destabilize governments. [Microsoft has repeatedly identified large-scale influence activity from China targeting U.S.-based social media platforms, while in 2025 alone, Google has terminated more than 10,000 YouTube channels linked to coordinated influence operations run by Chinese state actors][1].

Fighting Troll Farms and Bot Networks

The transparency tool could be particularly effective at exposing coordinated inauthentic behavior. Troll accounts designed to provoke debate on foreign politics and divisive issues often rely on obscured origins to maintain credibility. By revealing location data and VPN usage, X users can now identify patterns of coordinated activity and better contextualize inflammatory comments from accounts with suspicious geographic or technical indicators.

[The feature could make it much easier to highlight bots and manipulator accounts designed to antagonize and provoke on the app by amplifying divisive content][1]. This is especially important given that [X has lowered its moderation buffers to allow for more free speech, which has reportedly made it a bigger target for foreign influence activity][1].

Effectiveness Depends on User Awareness

The success of this feature ultimately depends on user engagement. If X can raise awareness of these new profile transparency indicators, the impact of foreign operatives diminishes significantly—someone in the comments will likely note suspicious location data or VPN usage, lessening the influence of coordinated campaigns. However, users must actively check these details and call out suspicious patterns for the feature to reach its full potential.

The “About this profile” data page represents X’s attempt to balance its commitment to free speech with the practical reality that platforms are targets for state-sponsored manipulation campaigns. By empowering users with better information, the platform shifts some responsibility for detecting coordinated inauthentic behavior from centralized moderation teams to the community itself.

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