New X Feature Reveals Top MAGA Accounts Based Overseas

Elon Musk recently rolled out a new feature on X in an effort to increase transparency among users. However, the new feature revealed that some of the most prominent MAGA or US right-wing accounts were based overseas.

According to The Daily Beast, Musk unveiled a new feature on the X platform as a way to increase transparency. X shared that the purpose of the feature was to help users check if an account is genuine, amidst a rise in AI-bot farms on social media sites. The feature came out following months of internal discussions and was first shared with the public in October.

In the 'About this Account' feature, which rolled out sitewide on Friday, people can see where the account is based, when they joined X, how often they have changed their username, and how they downloaded the app. Following the rollout, many decided to see where certain personalities were from through this feature.

They found that dozens of US right-wing, or MAGA-affiliated accounts, belonged to users based overseas. Dozens of these accounts promoting the 'America First' or MAGA movements were found to be based in other countries such as Russia, India, and Nigeria.

One such example is the account MAGANationX, which has 400,000 followers with a bio that reads, 'Patriot Voice for We the People.' The feature revealed that the user behind this account is based in Eastern Europe.

Another example is the account IvankaNews, a fan account for US President Donald Trump's daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump. The account has around one million followers and constantly posts about the threats posed by Islam. The new feature found that the user behind the account is based in Nigeria.

The Head of Product for X, Nikita Bier, shared that there are still tweaks to be made with the new feature. Bier cited the information around the account location that could be altered with the use of a VPN as one of the potential issues they plan to fix. Before noting the potential issues that they plan to fix, Bier said they hope this feature will help users discern whether an account they are interacting with is genuine or a bot or someone trying to spread misinformation.

The New Feature Suddenly Taken Down and Accuracy Complaints

Hours after it was made available, some users reported that it was soon taken down without any explanation. Some speculated that the accidental revelation of the location of these far-right accounts may be a reason for their abrupt removal. But it would become available again later.

The Centre for Information Resilience flagged the use of such accounts to amplify the MAGA movement during the 2024 US elections. Noting that many of the prominent MAGA accounts are based in Eastern Europe or Russia raises questions among users regarding possible interference in US politics by foreign agents.

Prior to the feature being taken down, it also faced accuracy complaints, with some users citing incorrect location details. This makes it a potential reason as to why the feature was briefly taken down.

Other users, however, complained that the date shown indicating when they joined the platform was inaccurate.