Topic: Social Media and Disinformation
📊 Facts Database / Topics / Social Media and Disinformation

Social Media and Disinformation

4 Facts
2 Related Entities
X (formerly Twitter) publicly displays for user accounts the country or region the account is based in, the location and date when the account was created, and the number of times the account's username has been changed.
November 24, 2025 high descriptive
Product feature describing what account metadata the platform shows publicly.
X allows users in countries where freedom of speech is limited to display only their region rather than a more precise location.
November 24, 2025 high descriptive
Privacy-preserving option for account location visibility on the platform.
X updates publicly displayed location data periodically on a delayed and randomized schedule intended to preserve users' privacy.
November 24, 2025 high descriptive
Platform policy for timing of public location data updates to reduce privacy risks.
Researchers have found that fake and automated accounts (bots) on X have posted misinformation related to U.S. elections, the coronavirus pandemic, and far-right conspiracy theories, and bots have been used by groups to try to foment discord in past elections domestically and internationally.
November 24, 2025 high observational
Academic and investigative findings about the behavior and use of bots on the platform.