X’s new “About This Account” feature briefly exposed how many political troll accounts aren’t actually based in the US. Users quickly discovered that numerous pro-MAGA and other political profiles claiming to be American were operating from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Eastern Europe, Thailand and more. Both left- and right-leaning troll networks appeared to be filled with foreign actors.
Soon after the discoveries went viral, X removed location details and added disclaimers about VPNs, though most cases were unlikely to be errors. Some of these accounts are tied to state-sponsored influence campaigns, while many others appear to be people abroad seeking monetization income from rage-bait political content.
Source: The Verge
