A hot potato: X, formerly known as Twitter, could soon include a disclaimer on user profiles that reveals whether they use a VPN. It comes a month after the company said it was planning to display more information about users, including the country they're based, so others could verify the authenticity of their posts.
The situation began in October when Mikita Bier, X's Head of Product, announced that new information would be shown on user profiles, such as the date they joined, number of username changes and the date of the last change, and where the account is based. The aim is to reduce inauthentic engagement on X, according to Bier – anonymous trolls, basically.
When you read content on X, you should be able to verify its authenticity. This is critical to getting a pulse on important issues happening in the world.
– Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) October 14, 2025
As part of that, we're experimenting with displaying new information on profiles, including which country an account is… pic.twitter.com/OYgT1OiJdA
A MacRumors analyst spotted that X will show a warning on accounts that try to use a VPN to hide their location once the About Your Account feature launches.
"One of our partners has indicated that you may be connecting via a proxy – such as a VPN – which may change the country or region that is displayed on your profile," the warning reads.
X will show a warning on your account if you try to use a VPN to hide where your account is from when the upcoming "About Your Account" feature launches.
– Aaron (@aaronp613) November 15, 2025
"One of our partners has indicated that you may be connecting via a proxy – such as a VPN – which may change the country or… pic.twitter.com/vAOus842Br
If someone still uses the VPN when submitting their location, the account will display a message for other users that reads, "Country or region may not be accurate."
X still hasn't clarified exactly how the system will work or whether users are required to submit their information for public viewing. One user asked Bier if they will be able to opt-out of confirming their country due to the potential privacy implications.
"There will be privacy toggles. However, if a user configures them, that will likely be highlighted on their profile," the X executive replied.
Speaking to TechRadar, Marijus Briedis, CTO of the popular VPN service NordVPN, was understandably upset at the prospect of VPN users being highlighted this way.
"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," Briedis said, adding that the warning was much more about signaling than safety.
Proton, maker of the several privacy-focused services, including a free VPN, urged caution as details of X's plan have yet to be confirmed.
"There's been a lot of speculation about how this will actually be implemented, and we still don't have a definitive picture," Proton VPN's General Manager, David Peterson, told TechRadar. He also noted that users' locations may be identified from their app-store region rather than their physical location or IP address, though this could still cause problems.
There have been a few big changes to X in 2025 as owner Elon Musk looks to attract more users, which were reportedly down YoY in September. There was a new Video Tab rolled out for US users, a UI redesign, and the removal of 1.7 million bot accounts. Behind the scenes, Linda Yaccarino resigned as CEO after two years at the helm of the company.
X wants to call you out for using a VPN (and maybe catch a few trolls, too)
