[DECODED] X’s geolocation function is not good or clear, and that makes it problematic

On November 23, Nikita Bier, head of product at Elon Musk’s social media platform X, introduced that the platform can be introducing a function that might let customers see the nation or area the place an account on X is predicated.

The function, which follows within the footsteps of comparable ones on Fb and YouTube, is supposed as “an necessary first step to securing the integrity of the worldwide city sq.” by serving to clamp down and monitor inauthentic engagement. 

The query turns into a matter of figuring out whether or not it is going to work as marketed and what capabilities and limitations X’s geolocation function can have for its customers.

Geolocation at a look

Geolocation is the method of figuring out the place a pc or different computing machine is positioned utilizing one or quite a lot of knowledge assortment mechanisms. 

In line with Google’s personal definition of geolocation, “most geolocation providers use community routing addresses or inner GPS chips to find out this location.”

Lack of readability on how X geolocation works

How does X’s geolocation work, although? It’s not fully clear. 

In line with Jan Kammerath, who examined a number of the limits of the system, it seems the geolocation notices are carried out in batches as new accounts utilizing digital non-public networks to base them in Vaduz in Liechtenstein didn’t instantly get tagged with geolocation.

Bier mentioned in a publish, “If any knowledge is wrong, it is going to be up to date periodically primarily based on greatest out there info. This occurs on a delayed and randomized schedule to protect privateness.”

This is able to imply that the geolocation checks are time-bound and will thus be completely different if an individual is, for instance, touring elsewhere when an replace to the geolocation checks happens.

Bier later mentioned on November 24 that in an replace by November 25, “accuracy can be almost 99.99%.”

On-line reactions to X’s new function

The Nerve checked out public X posts from November 21 to twenty-eight mentioning the brand new X location function, and located about 192,790 English posts.

Primarily based on the scan, the most important subject clusters (about 17%) contained a mixture of humor and outrage on the new function. Many customers discovered it entertaining that the function is exposing grifters, faux Individuals, and misleading accounts, whereas others mocked X CEO and proprietor Elon Musk for utilizing it as a type of handbook bot purge; others, in the meantime, praised it as certainly one of X’s greatest updates.

The scan additionally famous how there have been considerations relating to the function’s privateness dangers, points on accuracy, and the potential for political misuse, whereas warnings have been posted about potential xenophobia and points with person security and privateness. Some posts have additionally raised authorized and data-protection questions, with a name for stronger privacy-preserving alternate options.

In the meantime, about 4.9% of the posts within the scan have been about exposing faux accounts and bot networks. Israel (1.46%) is talked about primarily in relation to controversy over US authorities accounts showing to be primarily based there. Gaza journalists (2.1%) are additionally talked about, largely within the context of confusion, false accusations, and disinformation triggered by the X geolocation replace.

The propensity for racist discourse

The Nerve’s scan of X posts confirmed racist discourse has additionally occurred following the discharge of the function.

About 5% of the posts additionally level out that the function has intensified xenophobia, country-based hate, and identification policing, with individuals all of the sudden treating X’s location function as proof of ethnicity.

The function has additionally surfaced racist narratives, with India as essentially the most talked about nation within the dataset (5.8%), adopted by Nigeria and Bangladesh (1.4%), Pakistan (2.3%), Ukraine (2%), and the UK (0.39%).

Sowing doubt on authenticity

X’s geolocation replace, because of this, sows doubt on the authenticity of posts made by accounts on X. That is each seen as a possible accountability measure, in addition to a method of weaponizing geolocation outcomes to “show” persons are liars.

How does sowing doubt on the authenticity of an account work as an accountability measure?

In The Nerve’s report on the Southport riots, we handled analyzing the UK’s anti-immigrant disinformation ecosystem. 

Our transfer to catalogue these was an accountability measure meant to point out that actors outdoors the areas being mentioned have been spurring on anti-immigrant discussions whereas asserting they have been from the UK whereas not being from there in any respect.

The Nerve recognized at the least 26 verified accounts posting anti-immigrant narratives. Of those, we discovered six accounts which can be primarily based in international locations that aren’t the UK, in line with X’s new geolocation function.

Three have been discovered to be primarily based in Europe (Netherlands, Italy, and Serbia), two within the US, and one in Thailand. 

The accounts that bear UK-related flags on their show names (@HerdImmunity12 and @whitepilledpage), particularly, are primarily based in Thailand and america, respectively. 

@HerdImmunity12 has each the UK and US flags in its show title, and has a bio word saying, “✝️ Professional SME, TRUMP, MAGA, minimal state interference, #LeaveWEF, reasonably priced vitality.” The disclosed location it has on its account is Nice Britain. It’s nonetheless posting anti-immigrant content material as of November 2025.

In the meantime, @whitepilledpage bears the nationwide flag of England, often known as the St. George’s Cross, which has been related to the far proper. Additionally it is nonetheless posting anti-immigrant content material as of November 2025.

Weaponizing this function nonetheless, works in a lot the identical method — by asserting that somebody who’s clearly in a given location is definitely mendacity primarily based on X’s geolocation function.

As an example, the Israel International Ministry mentioned on X on November 23 that journalist Motasem Dalloul — reporting on the assaults towards Gaza — was working out of Poland primarily based on the geolocation tag in his account.

Dalloul has already gone on the report with video exhibiting him in Gaza and has spoken about utilizing a global SIM card on his telephone because of the destruction of Gaza’s telecommunications infrastructure. 

Except for skepticism, ‘belief however confirm’ is paramount

As journalist Hala Jaber defined on X: “Gaza’s shattered web runs on donated eSIMs that route by way of Europe, together with Poland. VPNs, failovers, & community glitches solely make misidentification simpler. X itself mentioned the function isn’t dependable & even paused its rollout.”

She went on to say that pro-Israeli accounts “aren’t making a good-faith mistake.”

“They’re weaponizing a recognized technical quirk to smear a Palestinian journalist & pro-Palestinian accounts as a result of their reporting is inconvenient.”

Whereas X’s geolocation function is welcome in its bid to create transparency, there also needs to be clear notes detailing the way it operates and what its limitations are.

The geolocation function, as a aspect impact, finally ends up performing as an enabler of engagement farming or clickbait as individuals talk about the function and push again on perceived fakery or inauthenticity on X.

It’s onerous to belief what you can’t confirm, and whereas black containers in huge tech are regular, they don’t seem to be all the time welcome. Having wholesome skepticism on this case could be the sensible transfer.

With out correct safeguards, X’s geolocation function is a weapon to be wielded by unhealthy actors aiming to create confusion at its worst. At greatest, it may be a method of opening up the dialogue on how transparency and accountability are sorely wanted on social media. – with stories from Pauline Macaraeg/Rappler.com