Khaberni - The social media platform "X", owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has sparked widespread controversy among its users after launching a new feature last week aimed at increasing transparency on the platform, but it has led to concerns about privacy and identity exposure.
"X" unveiled a new page called "About This Account", aimed at providing users with additional information about the accounts they interact with, including the country or region where the account was created.
However, user reactions were mixed, with some feeling that the feature forced identity and personal information disclosure.
They pointed out that revealing the location could be dangerous, especially in countries that limit freedom of speech, where users may face political or retaliatory consequences.
Some users explained that the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) could lead to the display of inaccurate location information, according to a report published by "Business Insider".
In response to the criticism, "X" removed the location data for some accounts last Saturday, and Nikita Per, head of product at "X", confirmed that the information was "not 100% accurate", especially for older accounts, noting that the company plans to redisplay them by next Tuesday.
The launch of the feature led to users reviewing the account information pages of their competitors, looking for any inaccurate or inconsistent data.
It is not surprising that some accounts were not as they appeared, especially those fake or used to spread misinformation or strife online, which is an increasing problem on social media platforms, especially with the rising use of artificial intelligence in creating fake content.
"X" aims through the "About This Account" feature to reduce fake interactions on the platform, where internet bots often impersonate real users to spread misleading information.
The idea is that disclosing account data enables users to distinguish between real and fake accounts, thereby enhancing the credibility of interactions and content.
It is worth noting that "X" is not the first social network to offer this level of transparency, as Instagram has been offering a similar feature called "About This Account" for a while now, enabling users to learn additional details about the accounts they follow.
