Twitter's New 'About This Account' Feature Exposes MAGA - X Accounts Run Outside US?

X (formerly Twitter) has launched a new transparency tool called 'About This Account', and it is already generating massive controversy. Designed to give users more insight into who they are engaging with, the feature reveals an account's origin country, how long it has been active, its username history, and how the app was downloaded. But in doing so, it has exposed something surprising as a number of right wing, pro-MAGA influencers who were long-assumed to be US-based voices are operating from outside the US according to this new feature on X. This shocking revelation is leading to questions about foreign influence, political authenticity, and the future of online discourse under Elon Musk's ownership of X.

Many MAGA Voices Are Not Where You Think They Are

With the rollout of the 'About This Account' panel, users discovered that several high-profile MAGA accounts are not based in the United States as they appear to claim. Accounts such as MAGA NATION, which has hundreds of thousands of followers, turned out to be hosted in Eastern Europe. Similarly, MAGA Scope was traced to Nigeria, and other 'America First' accounts were found to originate in Bangladesh as per reports. Even more striking, some smaller but vocal profiles like Dark Maga appear to be based in places like Thailand.

This discovery has led to a massive debate on social media, particularly from liberal accounts who are questioning MAGA voices, about foreign actors masquerading as grassroots American patriots. Some argue this type of hidden overseas presence potentially destroys the credibility of genuine political debate in the US and shows coordinated influence. On the other hand, defenders of these accounts say that the new data may not be entirely accurate, citing factors like VPN use, old IP addresses, or international teams as possible reasons for the odd locations.

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Implications for Political Discourse, Trust, and Misinformation

The alleged exposure of these foreign-run MAGA accounts has started a bigger conversation about political authenticity on social media. Many people have allegedly suspected that some right wing commentary platforms were less organic US voices and more disinformation or troll farms with profit motives. The new X feature seems to validate that suspicion, giving concrete evidence that at least some influencer accounts may be far more global than previously assumed.

The timing of this rollout under Elon Musk's leadership adds another complication and point of controversy. Critics charge that under Musk, X has become more permissive of polarising and conspiratorial content, with weaker content moderation. By contrast, supporters of the new feature argue that it is a brilliant step toward restoring transparency and trust, especially given the platform's history of bot accounts and foreign influence.

However, the feature is not without its technical challenges. Users have reported inaccuracies in the location data, especially for older accounts where IP history may be muddled. X's head of product, Nikita Bier, has acknowledged these 'rough edges' and promised improvements. Some worry that until those bugs are ironed out, the tool could falsely 'doxx' users or misidentify their real location, especially if they used VPNs when joining or managing their accounts.

Another question raised is whether this will curb or exacerbate disinformation. While exposing foreign-run accounts might deter some bad actors, others may merely shift strategy, perhaps to more transient or AI-generated accounts. Indeed, the role of artificial intelligence in amplifying political content has already been criticised, especially on Twitter. On the other hand, if the transparency tool works well, it could empower ordinary users to better judge the credibility of political voices on X.