In a bid to enhance the authenticity of news being shared on X, formerly Twitter, the app’s management has teased a major update.
The head of product at X, Nikita Bier, made the announcement on Tuesday, October 14, 2024. He said the platform is experimenting with displaying new information on profiles.
Nikita stated, “When you read content on X, you should be able to verify its authenticity. This is critical to getting a pulse on important issues happening in the world.”
He added that the new information being displayed on profiles include “the country an account is based, among other details”.
The feature will roll out next week with a handful of profiles of X team members. This will provide a window to the management to get feedback and enhance user experience.
Responding to a question about whether users can opt out of showing their country on profile due to privacy risk, Nikita said, “There will be privacy toggles. However, if a user configures them, that will likely be highlighted on their profile. More to come.”
He also added that the micro-blogging site can replace the country with a region in places where speech can have penalties.
The news has set the internet ablaze with majority users mocking India-based accounts pretending to be from western countries. One user wrote, “Posting news with the Indian flag is freaking hilarious.”
Several India-based accounts pose as users from other countries and are known sources of disinformation on the platform.
