The piece explains how X’s new country-of-origin feature is exposing a wave of foreign-run accounts that pose as American voices, gives examples of high-following accounts traced abroad, includes X’s reasoning for the change, and notes the limits of location data when users employ VPNs.
Elon Musk’s company X rolled out a feature that displays the country where an account is located, and the move has sparked sharp interest from users and security watchers alike. The disclosure gives a clearer picture of which accounts are actually operated abroad while appearing to be domestic voices. That visibility matters because the platform plays a major role in shaping political conversation and public opinion.
Many of the accounts based in foreign countries are pretending to represent the America First agenda. That trend raises concerns about manufactured narratives and the use of authentic-looking profiles to amplify messages that appear homegrown but are coordinated overseas. Platforms that hide operator origin have been exploited before, and this feature is an effort to lift that veil.
One striking example is the handle “@1776General_,” which bills itself as a “constitutionalist, patriot and ethnically American” and counts more than 140,000 followers, yet is traced to Turkey. The account’s owner has said they work in international business and are currently in Turkey, a claim that is difficult to verify from the outside. That mix of patriotic language, nationalist branding, and foreign location is exactly what the new feature is meant to surface for users and investigators.
The pattern repeats with other large profiles: “@AmericanVoice__” reportedly had over 200,000 followers and was identified as based in South Asia before the owner deleted the account. Accounts like these can build sizable audiences and then vanish or shift narratives, leaving questions about who actually influenced those followers and why. That kind of churn makes it harder to trace influence and hold operators accountable.
Profiles masquerading as on-the-ground reporters are another concerning category, with several accounts claiming to be Gaza-based journalists found to be operating from places such as Poland, Egypt, or East Asia and the Pacific. Those accounts can shape coverage of international crises by offering allegedly first-hand updates that are actually posted from afar. Misplaced trust in apparent eyewitnesses makes accurate sourcing more important than ever.
Transparency advocates at X say the country tag will help users judge credibility, and the company has been explicit about the tool’s intent. X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, said the feature will help people better identify misinformation. “When you read content on X, you should be able to verify its authenticity. This is critical for staying informed about important issues happening in the world. Part of this is showing new information in accounts, including the country an account is located in, among other things,” Bier wrote.
Representatives from X warned the feature is not foolproof because users can mask their true location with a VPN, and the company said it will flag accounts suspected of using those tools. In such cases, X will place a notice indicating the account may be using a VPN next to the listed location. That admission underscores both the value and the limits of platform-level transparency when bad actors try to hide behind technical tricks.
For conservatives focused on national security and informational integrity, the launch is welcome but incomplete: exposing a country tag helps the public, but it does not stop propaganda or foreign influence campaigns on its own. Stronger verification tools, pattern analysis, and enforcement against coordinated inauthentic behavior are still necessary to prevent manipulation. Public platforms have to balance openness with safeguards that protect authentic domestic voices.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice. This development on X connects to a larger debate about how the U.S. counters foreign meddling in our civic spaces. Platforms that surface operator origin make it harder for overseas actors to pose as grassroots movements without being noticed.
As X rolls this out more broadly, users, policymakers, and researchers will be watching to see how effective the country label proves in real-world cases and how quickly bad actors adapt. The measure offers a clearer picture of origin, but it also exposes a need for complementary practices: better account verification, transparent incident reporting, and consistent enforcement. The conversation about platform responsibility and national resilience to foreign information operations is only getting louder.
