X may Soon flag users who use VPNs to hide location on their profiles

Social network X (formerly Twitter) may roll out showing in user profiles whether someone is using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to hide their location.

Concerns are emerging that X users who employ a VPN could be exposed, following a post in October by the company’s head of product, Nikita Bier, about platform transparency. Subsequent information illustrating how new account details would be displayed has fueled these worries.

The potential revelation of VPN usage stems from an upcoming “About Your Account” feature X plans to introduce. However, it remains uncertain whether displaying the use of a VPN is currently being tested as part of this feature. A VPN creates an encrypted link between a user and a remote server, making it harder, though not impossible, to determine a person’s actual location.

Some of the other information ‘About Your Account’ would display includes the date an X account was created, how many times the username has been altered, and how the account is using X.

As part of a display of country of origin, X would point out that “Country or region may not be accurate” to people visiting the profile and issue a warning to the profile owner that their VPN use has been caught and may affect how that information is shown to others.

This will become a serious issue for users who rely on VPNs to protect their online identity. This includes people seeking safety from stalking, government persecution in certain countries, or harassment and bullying.

Initial reactions from segments of the VPN industry have shown concern, though this is somewhat restrained pending greater clarity on the final implementation of the feature.

Representatives from VPN companies, including Surfshark and NordVPN, expressed concern that disclosing VPN users could put people who have legitimate privacy concerns at risk, according to TechRadar.

According to NordVPN CTO Marijus Briedis, “So, putting a visible flag on them can make it easier to single out journalists, activists, or users in high-risk countries as ‘suspicious’ just because they care about privacy.”