- X could soon show whether you’re using a VPN
- A warning that your location “may not be accurate” may be displayed
- This comes as X seeks to fight troll accounts
The social media platform X could soon show whether you are using a VPN.
The Head of Product, Mikita Bier, announced plans to display more information about users “including which country the account is based,” in a bid to fight back against troll accounts.
For VPN users, this could mean that their profile will display a warning to other users that the country or region displayed “may not be accurate.”
The move has led to criticism from privacy advocates and companies alike.
What VPN users need to know
Bier has indicated that the new profile elements are expected to be rolled out as early as November 18, 2025.
According to a preview of how the feature will affect VPN users, X will show a warning on your profile page if it finds that you’re connected via a proxy or VPN service, which may change the country or region that is displayed on your profile.
This doesn’t mean, however, that X users will be prevented from using a virtual private network (VPN) or similar tools while on the platform.
PREVIEW: X will indicate if an account may be using a VPN to hide their true location when the new “About Your Account” feature launches 👀 https://t.co/Ru1F1t0F3jNovember 16, 2025
Needless to say, the announcement has been met with outrage among the privacy ranks.
Commenting on the tweet, Director of Research at NetBlocks, Isik Mater, wrote: “Great, so the next step is outing activists and journalists to their governments. People use VPNs to stay safe in repressive environments, not to hide for fun. These guys have zero understanding of privacy or basic safety.”
Proton, which is the provider behind one of the most popular and best free VPN on the market, is still cautious to raise the alarm − for now, at least.
“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.
Peterson points out that it appears the users’ locations may be derived from their app-store region rather than their physical location or current IP address, which is the factor spoofed by a VPN. Yet, even this scenario isn’t without risks.
“If a system relies on app-store region as a proxy for jurisdiction, users could end up being subject to the wrong rules, or be locked out of age-restricted content even when they’re compliant,” said Peterson.
So, is the end of private browsing on X? Ultimately, it will all depend on how the social media platform intends to deploy the new feature.
TechRadar reached out to X to find out more but had not received a response at time of publication.
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chiara.castro@futurenet.com (Chiara Castro)
