- X can now show if you are using a VPN
- You may see a warning that your location may not be accurate.
- This happens when X tries to fight troll accounts
UPDATE: As we are still awaiting further clarification from X, we have made some changes to the November 25, 2025 copy to reflect the full implementation of the new feature.
Social media platform X can now see if you’re using a VPN.
The product manager, Mikita Bier, has already announced it plans to show more user information “including the country where the account is located” to defend against troll accounts.
For VPN users, this may mean that your profile displays a warning to other users that the country or region specified “may be incorrect”.
On November 21, 2025, X began rolling out this feature. IF beer explainsCurrently, users can only see their own country. However, it was only temporary.
The feature will be rolled out globally the next day, “on a delayed and random schedule to protect privacy.” famous beer. This meant that some users had to wait until Monday or Tuesday (November 24 and 25) to take advantage of all the features.
While Bier noted that the team has “built-in privacy buttons to only show your region” for accounts in countries where free speech is illegal, the move was criticized by companies and privacy advocates.
There are still many unanswered questions, especially about a feature that should give the platform more transparency. What data does X use to determine its position? And which of X’s partners (image below) indicate that their account can use a virtual private network (VPN) or proxy connection?
What VPN users need to know
According to a preview To understand how the feature affects VPN users, X will display a warning on your profile page if it detects that you are connected through a proxy or VPN service. This may change the country or region shown in your profile.
Now that the full feature has rolled out, we also know that the location data on the new About tab for this account will also include a warning that the location “may be affected by recent travel or a temporary move.”
Sure, but make sure Information accuracy of almost 99.99%.
However, this does not mean that X users are prohibited from using a virtual private network (VPN) or similar tools on the platform.
ADVANCE:November 16, 2025
Needless to say, this announcement caused outrage among data protection commissioners.
NetBlock’s head of research responded to the tweet: Isik Mater, wrote.: “Good, then the next step is to send activists and journalists to their governments. People use VPNs to be safe in repressive environments, not to hide for fun. These people don’t understand privacy or basic security.”
According to Donatas Budvytis, CTO at Surfshark, whether someone is using a VPN reveals very little, as users can simply use it to improve their privacy without changing their location. “However, in authoritarian regimes, a VPN can be essential to circumvent government censorship and surveillance. Detecting a VPN on a connection can put people at risk,” Budvytis added.
Similarly, Marijus Briedis, CTO of NordVPN, explains that such a warning is “much more of a reporting issue than a security issue,” and that the biggest risks remain for those who use a VPN to protect themselves from tracking, harassment, and even government surveillance.
Proton, the provider behind one of the best and most popular free VPNs on the market, is wary of sounding the alarm, at least for now.
Peterson notes that it appears users’ locations can be inferred from the app store region, rather than their physical location or current IP address, which is the spoofing factor for a VPN. But even this scenario is not without risks.
“If a system relies on the App Store region as an indicator of jurisdiction, users may encounter incorrect policies or be denied access to age-restricted content even if they comply,” said Peterson.