You will be able to see X’s user profiles if someone is using a VPN

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Based on a Another in October About Transparency on the Platform by the company’s Chief Product Officer, Nikita Beer, and Follow-ups from others Explaining how new information is being viewed, there are concerns that people using X may be exposed for using this technology.

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It’s not clear whether showing whether someone is using a VPN has already been tested as part of the About Your Account feature that X plans to roll out. A VPN, or virtual private network, creates an encrypted connection between you and a remote server. Using a VPN makes it more difficult – but not impossible – to locate someone.

Some other information about your account that will be displayed includes the date the X account was created, the number of times your username has changed, and how the account uses X. As part of the country of origin display,

This could be a A big problem for those who use a VPN To hide their identity online for safety reasons, including stalking or government persecution in some countries or to avoid harassment or bullying.

A representative for X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

So far, the reaction from some in the VPN industry has been alarmed, tempered by the lack of knowledge of exactly how the feature will be implemented in its final form.

On TechRadarrepresentatives of VPN companies, including Surfshark and NordVPN, expressed concern that exposing VPN users could put people with legitimate privacy concerns at risk.

“So clearly labeling them could make it easier for journalists, activists or users in high-risk countries to be flagged as ‘suspicious’ simply because they care about privacy,” Marigos Bridis, chief technology officer at NordVPN, told the site.