'Based in Russia': What X's new location tool reveals, and what it doesn't
A new X tool showing users’ locations is exposing inconsistencies among large Russian and anti- EU accounts, but researchers warn the data is not fully reliable.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/12/01/based-in-russia-what-xs-new-location-tool-reveals-and-what-it-doesnt
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00:00How X's new location feature is fueling misinformation
00:08X recently rolled out its new transparency feature on every profile,
00:12showing data such as where the app was downloaded, when the user joined and crucially their location.
00:18But some of these locations don't appear to match up, fueling concerns of misinformation.
00:23For example, this account, which claims to be a war correspondent,
00:26mainly posts videos of herself in Russian cities or in the occupied Donbas.
00:30But X's new tour places her not in Russia but in Ireland.
00:34She's not the only one though, several other Russian-language accounts with thousands of followers show the same location.
00:40The feature also reveals inconsistencies in large anonymous pages.
00:44Russia news with over 225,000 followers and a stated location in St. Petersburg appears to be operating from the UAE.
00:53But it's not just Russia-related accounts, several profiles posting anti-migrant or anti-EU content,
00:58which claim to be European, are flagged as being based outside Europe.
01:02But experts warn that discrepancies don't necessarily mean accounts are deliberately hiding their true locations.
01:08Whilst an account could be part of a coordinated campaign, it could also be looking to boost followers.
01:14A number of these accounts also have blue ticks, meaning that they may be able to monetize high engagement posts depending on how much engagement they get.
01:22On the other side, an account could be relying on a VPN, which could reroute it through locations such as Ireland or the UAE.
01:29X itself says the feature isn't always accurate and may reflect travel or temporary relocation.
01:35And even Euronews has seen inaccuracies.
01:37Our own X account was briefly listed as being in the United States before shifting back to France.
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