Investigating Potential Covert Influence Operations Versus Online Provocation Tactics

X’s new geolocation tool, “About This Account,” has revealed numerous politically influential accounts on the platform as potential false flag operations, raising significant concerns about the spread of misinformation across social media platforms.

Launched in November 2025, the tool provides users with transparency by displaying accounts’ creation dates, operating locations, username change history, and platform connection methods. This feature has uncovered several verified accounts pushing polarizing political content from unexpected locations, suggesting coordinated influence operations.

Among the questionable accounts identified are popular Russian news channels supposedly operating from the United Arab Emirates and MAGA-themed political accounts based in Nigeria, Eastern Europe, and West Asia. These accounts have cultivated substantial followings—some reaching thousands of followers—while presenting themselves as authentic voices within specific political movements.

Digital security experts note these accounts display hallmarks consistent with grey and black propaganda operations. Grey propaganda typically obscures or disguises the true source of information, while black propaganda deliberately misrepresents its origin to appear as though it comes from a trusted or different source than its actual creator.

“What we’re seeing fits established patterns of information manipulation,” said Dr. Elena Mikhailov, a disinformation researcher at the Center for Digital Security Studies. “These accounts create an illusion of grassroots support for particular viewpoints while actually originating from completely different regions than they purport to represent.”

The investigation has not conclusively linked these accounts to specific state or non-state actors. Researchers acknowledge the possibility that some accounts may be operating as “ragebait” enterprises—deliberately sharing provocative content designed to generate emotional responses and engagement purely for monetary gain rather than political objectives.

Nevertheless, the discovery adds to mounting international concern regarding the proliferation of coordinated inauthentic behavior across social media platforms. Such operations can artificially amplify certain viewpoints, create the impression of wider support for fringe positions, and deepen political polarization within target countries.

Social media analysts point out that verification badges—once intended as markers of authenticity—may now contribute to the problem by lending credibility to these questionable accounts. All the identified accounts carried verification on X, potentially enhancing their perceived legitimacy among followers.

“The verification system was meant to build trust, but when applied to accounts engaging in deceptive practices regarding their true location and purpose, it can actually facilitate misinformation spread,” noted social media analyst James Harrington.

Platform transparency tools like “About This Account” represent a step toward combating such manipulation, allowing users to make more informed decisions about the content they consume and share. However, experts emphasize that identifying problematic accounts is only the first step in addressing the broader issue of information integrity online.

International organizations have increasingly called for coordinated approaches to counter cross-border information operations. The United Nations recently established a working group on digital disinformation, while the European Union has strengthened its Code of Practice on Disinformation to address similar concerns.

As platforms continue developing tools to increase transparency, users are encouraged to verify account information before engaging with political content, particularly during sensitive periods such as elections or international conflicts when influence operations typically intensify.

The discovery underscores the evolving nature of information warfare in the digital age, where geographic borders hold little meaning and determining the true sources of information requires increasingly sophisticated tools and critical media literacy skills.