X introduces new 'manipulated media' label to flag doctored images and videos

Social media platform X has reportedly begun attaching a warning label to posts that contain doctored videos or images to counter misleading content. The “manipulated media” tag now appears on posts containing “intentionally altered visuals” to deceive users, according to several community accounts that first noticed the change this week.

Screenshots shared by X accounts show the label appears directly beneath posts identified as altered, while users sharing such posts are also met with a warning in the share menu. The prompts link to an X policy page detailing rules around authenticity and deceptive media published back in April.

“This makes it harder for legacy media groups to spread misleading clips or pictures. Their usual tricks will not work the same anymore,” wrote Dogecoin graphics designer Brett Cowan, also known as DogeDesigner on the platform.

The update follows months of heightened pressure on social platforms to curb election-related falsehoods and other harmful material in the midst of US President Donald Trump’s second term at the Oval Office.

X launches warning tag after transparency report findings

The new safety feature came just under two months after X released a 15-page transparency report of its account enforcement actions from January to June. The company said it suspended 5.3 million accounts during the first half of the year.

According to the insight, 10.7 million posts were removed or labeled for violating rules on child sexual exploitation, harassment, and other forms of harmful content, after the platform’s team received more than 224 million user reports over the six-month period.

It is the first time X has issued a formal global transparency report since Elon Musk bought the platform, then known as Twitter, in 2022. The company noted that it spent the past year reviewing its approach to public reporting, but continued to release data on account removals and content moderation volumes.

Advocacy groups, researchers, and regulators have long argued that the company does not act quickly enough against harmful content. Yet, Musk insisted in September that X is more transparent and more accountable than before, citing its Community Notes feature as the best user-driven fact-checker.

Misleading political content drew billions of views

In July last year, a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate stated that false or misleading claims made by Elon Musk about the US election garnered 2 billion views on X. Researchers noted that Musk’s posts contributed to the spread of inaccurate information about voting processes and ballot integrity in states that ultimately decided the presidential race.

Since acquiring the company, Musk has scaled back moderation operations, reversed many previous rule enforcement standards, and endorsed President Donald Trump. Musk currently has nearly 229 million followers, giving his posts significant reach on the platform.

At least 80 posts from Musk advancing claims about the US election were labeled by fact-checkers as false or misleading, the Center for Countering Digital Hate reported.

New location-display feature adds to integrity

Alongside the “manipulated media” label, X also launched a feature over the weekend that displays a user’s location and other account metadata. The feature shows the country or region an account is based in, the creation date, and the number of times the username has been changed. 

“This is an important first step to securing the integrity of the global town square,” X Head of Product Nikita Bier said, adding that the company is developing more features to help users identify credible content. 

Bier noted that users in countries with limited free speech can display only the region rather than a specific country to protect their safety, and location information updates will be delayed and randomized to preserve user privacy. 

The data appears at the top of an account’s profile, and additional details are visible under a “Joined” tab that leads to a page labeled “About this account.”

Bier said on X Saturday that the rollout had “rough edges,” and some information still under review would be restored by Tuesday. 

Several accounts have been deleted after users spotted their origins, including one profile named “ULTRAMAGA 🇺🇸 TRUMP🇺🇸2028,” which claims to be based in Washington, DC, and was listed as located in Africa. 

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