X Update Exposes the Origin Locations of Accounts Behind Negative Campaigns Against Saudi Arabia

A new update on the platform “X” has pulled back the curtain on one of the most sensitive issues in the world of digital communication: the true location and origin of user accounts. Within hours of enabling the feature, dozens of accounts that had long claimed to be Saudi were exposed as being operated from foreign capitals running coordinated campaigns targeting the Kingdom and its people.

For years, these accounts spread misleading narratives about Saudi projects, government decisions, and daily life — and regrettably, several Western media outlets treated them as credible “local sources.” Much of what was published, as it now appears, was part of orchestrated negative campaigns amplified from outside the country, whether knowingly or through insufficient scrutiny.

This new X feature offers the media ecosystem a rare opportunity to recalibrate. It provides — for the first time — a technical tool that allows audiences and analysts to trace the origin of narratives, distinguish factual content from fabricated claims, and question any account presenting itself as Saudi while being driven by hidden agendas elsewhere.

The update has stripped away many disguises and opened the door for global media organizations to reassess the content they publish about Saudi Arabia, adopting more rigorous verification methods before relying on anonymous or misrepresented accounts. The challenge today is not only the accuracy of information, but also the credibility of its sources and the responsibility of those who choose to amplify them.