X Wants You to Know Where Accounts Are From With "About This Account"

When X (formerly Twitter) announced a global rollout of ‘About This Account’, the timing instantly caught global attention. This new transparency feature, unveiled by X executive Nikita Bier, allows anyone to see the country or region where an account is based simply by tapping the profile’s sign-up date. In Bier’s words, it is “an important first step to securing the integrity of the global town square.”

For Nigeria, this update is arriving at a particularly sensitive moment. Online conversations have been heated for weeks, fuelled by viral claims, urgent commentary, and intense debates about violent attacks across the country and how different groups are interpreting the situation.

Add to that the reactions, including widely discussed statements made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, tagging Nigeria a ‘Country of particular concern’ and the digital environment has become increasingly charged.

With this background, X’s new transparency tool has landed right at the centre of a global storm, and for Nigerians navigating truth, propaganda and identity online, this change raises important questions.

A Feature Designed for Online Safety and Transparency

According to Nikita Bier, this rollout represents a substantial push towards authenticity and platform integrity. He emphasised that X wants to “provide many more ways for users to verify the authenticity of the content they see,” especially in a digital world where misinformation spreads faster than facts.

Users can now:

• tap a profile’s join date

• instantly see the account’s country or region

• check whether the account’s location aligns with its claims

• use new privacy toggles if they are based in regions where speech attracts penalties

This last point is particularly important. Bier acknowledged that in certain countries, a user’s region can expose them to risk, so X allows them to hide it, a move that tries to balance transparency with personal protection.

From a broad perspective, About This Account aims to make the platform safer for millions of users dealing with impersonation, political interference and scam activity. But for Nigerians, the benefits, and risks, deserve deeper examination.

Over the past few weeks, social media has been filled with claims, counter-claims, commentary and global concern about attacks across Nigeria. Online discussions have been intense, emotionally charged and heavily polarised.

Some users describe the situation as targeting a specific religious group. Others argue that multiple communities are affected. There have been heated disagreements about root causes, motives and narratives.

Adding another layer, former U.S. President Donald Trump made public statements and social media posts expressing strong opinions about the situation in Nigeria. These posts sparked international commentary, diplomatic conversations, and widespread debate on X, further amplifying tensions.

Complaints about inaccuracies have already started rolling in. Why’s the data off? There are a few reasons. Travellers or organisations with staff spread across different countries might show up as “based” somewhere they aren’t, at least temporarily. VPNs can throw it off. Old IP addresses, outdated info… a little bit of everything. At the time of writing, it’s still a messy picture.

This is important context because Nigeria’s online space is deeply influential. Millions of citizens depend on social platforms for news, community updates, political conversation and national commentary. In times like this, identity verification becomes critical.

X’s new feature attempts to address this exact problem: helping people figure out who is speaking, from where, and with what possible intentions, especially when the information being shared has serious implications.

Nigerians are painfully familiar with anonymous accounts presenting themselves as activists, journalists or eyewitnesses.

During heated national moments, these accounts can:

• spread unverified claims

• exaggerate numbers

• create panic

• impersonate community leaders

• post content designed to divide groups

With location transparency, more users can cross-check the origin of accounts inserting themselves into Nigeria’s sensitive issues.

An account claiming to be posting from Jos or Kaduna but showing a completely different region raises instant red flags.

X is one of the most commonly used platforms for scams in Nigeria, from crypto impersonation to fake humanitarian groups.

Knowing a scam account’s actual region:

• helps victims detect fraud

• helps authorities track patterns

• makes it harder for bad actors to hide

This update will particularly help those who rely on X for donations, crowdfunding or community outreach.

Trust is deeply fragile online. With the level of tension surrounding Nigeria’s current discussions, even real eyewitness reports are often doubted.

By showing where an account originates, X gives users an added layer of confidence or caution. It’s not a perfect solution, but it is a meaningful step toward reducing confusion.

4. A Useful Tool for Journalists and Researchers

Nigerian journalists, fact-checkers and analysts often struggle to sift through contradictory claims during national crises.

About This Account becomes a practical tool for:

• verifying sources

• cross-checking narratives

• identifying foreign interference or coordinated influence campaigns

• assessing credibility

For Pulse Nigeria readers, this change directly supports more accurate reporting.

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Potential Downsides Nigerians Should Keep in Mind

• Location Doesn’t Guarantee Truth

  A Nigerian-based account can still share accurate information. A foreign-based account can still spread misinformation. Location is a clue, not proof. This means users must still apply caution and critical thinking.
  

• Bad Actors Can Still Bypass the System

  Scammers and political operatives may:

  • use VPNs

  • buy compromised accounts

  • hijack old dormant accounts

  • swap SIMs or repurpose numbers

  This means transparency improves, but loopholes remain.
  

• Risk for Users in Sensitive Regions

  Even with privacy settings, some users may accidentally reveal their region, putting them at risk if they comment on political or religious issues. Nigeria has a complex political landscape, and online expression often comes with consequences.

If not understood correctly, location labels could lead to:

• false accusations

• over-interpretation

• targeted harassment

• more polarisation

People may start assuming intentions based solely on region, which is not always accurate.

One reason this update is attracting attention is timing. X’s rollout comes at a particularly intense moment, amid heightened debate about violence in Nigeria, global concern over humanitarian issues, political commentary from foreign figures, national tension surrounding identity, faith, and community narratives, and widespread misinformation that has escalated fear.

With the stakes this high, users are more likely to scrutinise the origins of the accounts shaping these conversations, making About This Account both relevant and potentially impactful for Nigerians trying to navigate truth online.

Not entirely. But it does help. This is a step towards improving transparency, slowing down impersonation, and making it slightly harder for malicious accounts to manipulate national conversations.

• It supports:

  • accountability

  • fact-checking

  • safer online engagement

  • better digital literacy
    

But the work still falls on users: checking multiple sources, staying calm during heated online debates, and resisting the urge to amplify unverified claims.

What Can You Do Now

To make the most of this new feature, Nigerians should:

• check the region of accounts before sharing sensitive content

• be extra cautious with accounts commenting on national crises

• use privacy toggles if posting from regions where safety is a concern

• report impersonators and suspicious accounts

• avoid sharing posts that deepen division or panic

In a moment where global attention is on Nigeria, and conversations are heated across X, users need tools that help them filter noise from truth. About This Account is not a flawless solution, but it is a helpful one.

And for a digital community navigating one of its most delicate periods, even one useful tool can make a meaningful difference.