Elon Musk’s social media platform X recently introduced a feature displaying the locations of its users, exposing many accounts that claimed to report from Gaza as being based in other countries. This development has led to criticisms of numerous accounts manufactured disinformation, with the Israeli Foreign Ministry highlighting individuals who falsely claimed to be in Gaza while actually residing in places like Pakistan and London.
The Ministry praised X’s transparency initiative, calling for standards for “citizen-journalists” on social media. Cases were presented, such as a journalist with a significant following who was found to be based in Poland instead of Gaza.
Similarly, a New York Post article uncovered multiple accounts linked to Gaza that were actually in varied locations, including India and the UK. Journalist Eitan Fischberger identified other accounts that allegedly spread anti-American and anti-Israel propaganda, with further reports indicating misinformation sources from multiple regions including North Africa and Canada.
X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, described the update as a step toward ensuring the platform’s integrity, though some users reported their location accuracy issues, which X acknowledged in certain cases. Various pro-Trump accounts were also found to be based outside the U.S., with origins ranging from Eastern Europe to Africa, revealing a broader pattern of misleading information circulating on X.
