X could show if you're using a VPN − here's all we know

• X could now 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

UPDATE: As we are still waiting for more clarifications from X, on November 25, 2025, we made some edits to the copy to reflect the full implementation of the new feature.

The social media platform X could now show whether you are using a VPN.

The Head of Product, Mikita Bier, previously 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."

On November 21, 2025, X started to release the feature. As Bier explains, at the moment, "users can only see their own country." That was just temporary, though.

The feature would get fully rolled out globally the day after, "on a delayed and randomized schedule to preserve privacy," Bier noted. This meant that some users had to wait either Monday or Tuesday (November 24 and 25) to get the full functionalities.

While Bier stressed that the team has "included privacy toggles to only show your region" for accounts based in countries where speech has penalties, the move has led to criticism from privacy advocates and companies alike.

Many of the questions are still left unanswered, in fact, about a feature that is meant to bring more transparency to the platform. Which data does X use to define your location? And which are X's partners (see image below) that indicate your account may be using a virtual private network (VPN) or a proxy connection?

What VPN users need to know

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.

Now that the full feature has been rolled out, we also know that the location data in the new "about this account" tab also includes a warning that teh location "can be impacted by recent travel or temporary relocation."

Bier, however, ensures information accuracy of nearly 99.99%.

This doesn't mean, however, that X users are prevented from using a virtual private network (VPN) or similar tools while on the platform.

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."

According to Surfshark CTO, Donatas Budvytis, displaying whether someone is using a VPN reveals very little, as users can simply use it to boost their privacy without changing location. "Yet in authoritarian regimes, a VPN may be essential for evading censorship and government surveillance. Having a VPN detected in a connection could put people at risk," Budvytis added.

Similarly, NordVPN's CTO Marijus Briedis explains that such a warning is "much more about signaling than safety," with the main risks remaining for those using a VPN to protect themselves from tracking, harassment, and even state surveillance.

"So, 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," he told TechRadar, pointing out that this should not have any impact on X's compliance with age verification laws where applicable.

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 collects and uses your location data. TechRadar reached out to X to find out more, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

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