As AI makes fake accounts harder to detect, Elon Musk’s X is introducing new profile transparency features to help users distinguish between real people and bots. The social network will start showing more information on user profiles — including when an account was created, its location, username history, and how it uses the platform — as part of a wider effort to restore trust on X.
Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, announced the experiment in a recent post, explaining that when users read content on the platform, they should be able to verify its authenticity. The new profile transparency update will display signals like account creation date, country of registration, number of username changes, and app store region. Together, these data points are designed to give people a better sense of who they’re interacting with — and whether an account might be spreading misinformation.
The pilot phase of the profile transparency feature will launch next week with X employee profiles before expanding more broadly. Bier said that users will be able to opt out of having certain information displayed, but noted that this choice itself will be visible on their profile. In areas where revealing a user’s country could pose safety risks, X plans to show the region instead, offering a balance between transparency and privacy.
This approach mirrors similar moves across the social media industry. Instagram, for example, already provides an “About This Profile” section that lets users see when an account was created, what country it’s based in, and how many times its username has changed. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the platform could expand these tools in the future to give users more context before they engage with others.
While profile transparency could make it easier to spot suspicious behavior, experts caution that it won’t solve everything. Scammers and spam networks often adapt quickly, using sophisticated methods to mimic authentic accounts. X recently removed over 1.7 million bots involved in reply spam, underscoring how persistent the challenge remains.
Still, this update marks a meaningful shift in how social media platforms are addressing authenticity. Instead of relying solely on moderation or algorithmic detection, X is betting on openness — giving users more information and control over who they connect with. As AI blurs the boundaries between humans and machines, profile transparency could become a vital tool for rebuilding digital trust in the social era.
