A new feature on X has revealed that some influencers who claim to be US-based culture warriors actually live outside the country.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
One of the benefits of listening to public media is that you know the source. The public station is in your community and run by people in your community. When you receive news on social media, you may not know who sent it or where in the world they are. Now, a feature on X shows where user accounts are located. NPR’s Geoff Brumfiel reports revealing accounts that don’t appear to be where they say they are.
GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: An account called American with a bald eagle as its profile photo was based in Pakistan. Another account called IvankaTrumpNews (ph) with over a million followers was available in Nigeria. Both accounts are now suspended for violating X’s rules.
RENEE DIRESTA: These people who claimed to be American culture warriors didn’t live in the United States at all.
BRUMFIEL: Renee DiResta researches social media at Georgetown University. After X’s new location feature rolled out, many accounts reported by other users were influencers on the American political right. But DiResta says the mystery accounts appear to weigh in on other hot-button issues.
DIRESTA: Some accounts talk about gay rights in Japan, but it turns out that they are not in Japan, but rather in Brazil.
BRUMFIEL: Sometimes people may have legitimate reasons to hide their location, such as political persecution. But DiResta says she thinks, in most cases, it’s probably about making money. People exploit online controversy to get clicks, followers, and ultimately money. She calls this conflict entrepreneurship.
DIRESTA: Whenever you find yourself in a monetizable conflict situation, you start to see these conflict entrepreneurs in the space. And that’s what this feature really illustrates.
BRUMFIEL: Darren Linvill co-directs the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University and spends a lot of time tracking things like Russian-backed influence campaigns. He generally agrees with DiResta. Many accounts appear to be out for money.
DARREN LINVILL: In most of these cases, it’s probably just influencers trying to make money.
BRUMFIEL: But Linvill says some accounts appear to be run by foreign governments. For example, some British accounts call for Scottish independence? He has long suspected that they were set up by Iranian intelligence services.
LINVILL: There you go, you look at the account information now, and they signed up for X on an Iranian service.
BRUMFIEL: Linvill praises X for adding a little more transparency to comments on the platform, and he says researchers will likely learn more in the days and weeks to come.
Geoff Brumfield, NPR News.
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