X to Reveal More User Details to Fight Bots and Build Trust

Elon Musk’s company X is working on a new feature that would reveal more details about the users behind an X profile in an attempt to assist users better understand who they’re interacting with on the platform, as artificial intelligence (AI) makes it simpler to build bots that behave increasingly like humans.

Nikita Bier, head of product at X, recently posted that the social network will start testing showing more information on user profiles. This includes information like the account’s location, the date it was created, how many username changes it has had, and how it is using X’s service.

The aim is to assist users instantly in determining whether an online conversation is being held by a genuine person or possibly a bot.

By disclosing some of these facts, users should be better equipped to determine if an individual is running a legitimate account or if they are a bot or other malicious actor trying to spread false information.

It is a warning sign, for instance, if someone says they are in New York but their account indicates activity from abroad. A profile that has undergone several name changes in a short period of time may also be a sign of deception or manipulation.

Prior to implementing the tool more widely, Bier says X will test it on employee profiles the next week. The ability to opt out will apparently be available to users, and those that choose to do so might have that option prominently displayed—an intriguing spin on openness.

If an account’s bio states that it is based in a U.S. state, but its account information indicates that it is based abroad, for example, you might believe that the account has a different goal.

Likewise, if users claim to be from the United States but have downloaded the X app from a foreign app store, they can likewise doubt their authenticity. (This does not imply  that someone couldn’t have created an account abroad before moving to the United States, but it is a warning indication that, when paired with other indicators, such as frequent username changes, may raise suspicions.)

Before launching the functionality more widely, Bier stated that X will start testing it on a select group of X employee profiles the next week to get feedback. When asked about user privacy, he said that users will have the option to unsubscribe from seeing this data. That will probably be displayed on their profile, he noted, “if a user configures [the privacy toggles].”

The concerns over disclosing people’s locations were also addressed by him, stating that X may replace “country” with “region” in some situations where speech may be punished.

There is nothing new about showing more details about a social media account to help people figure out who they might be interacting with on the platform. 

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, for example, stated in a recent interview at Bloomberg’s Screentime conference that users of the photo and video-sharing app may now examine a similar collection of information by visiting someone’s profile.

He stated, “Today, if you go to my profile, you can go to ‘About this profile,’ and you can see how long I’ve had this profile, what country I’m based in, and how many times I’ve changed my username; a series of signals that you can use to decide how much you want to trust or not trust.” He added that Instagram might “do more” in the future to provide more context.

If X’s alterations are made public, they may help to some degree with trust difficulties, although spammers and scammers frequently have efficient means of evading expose attempts.

The announcement comes after a recent X bot purge in which the company shut down 1.7 million bots reply spambots. And this attempt by X is to restore the trust following years of criticism over phoney accounts and false information. One thing is certain: social networks will need to become more truthful as bots get more intelligent. Whether this works or not is still up in the air.