A transparency tool introduced by X over the weekend has revealed that dozens of influential accounts claiming to represent American political voices are operated from overseas, raising fresh questions about authenticity on the platform.

The feature lets users view an account’s country of origin by clicking on its join date. According to Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, the tool was designed to verify content authenticity and combat foreign troll farms operating political accounts.

The rollout quickly exposed accounts across the political spectrum. An account called “ULTRAMAGA 🇺🇸 TRUMP🇺🇸2028,” which claimed to be Washington, D.C.-based, was listed as operating from Africa. A Trump-themed account shown to be in Macedonia was subsequently deleted. And an account using the handle @American, displaying a bald eagle over the flag, appeared to originate from South Asia.

Another account, “IvankaNews_,” gathered over one million followers while posting pro-Trump content. Based in Nigeria with 11 username changes since 2010, the account has since been suspended. Anti-Trump accounts faced similar scrutiny, including a self-described “proud Democrat” who deleted their profile after being revealed as based in Kenya.

The feature’s accuracy, however, has come under question. Three NBC News journalists’ accounts displayed locations matching recent travel rather than their actual bases. X posted a warning acknowledging location data “may not be accurate” because of travel or temporary relocation.

The controversy peaked Friday when viral screenshots claimed the Department of Homeland Security account was based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The feature was abruptly disabled that night. DHS issued a denial Sunday, stating the account “has only ever been run and operated from the United States.” A spokesperson warned that screenshots can be easily manipulated.

Bier dismissed the claims as “misinformation,” explaining the feature was temporarily disabled because account creation country data was incorrect on some older accounts because of changing IP ranges. He stated location information was never available on government accounts and that DHS has only shown U.S. IP addresses since creation.

When the feature returned, DHS became the only government account displaying location information, now reading “United States.” Other government accounts show only creation and verification dates.

Researchers suggest mixed motivations behind the deceptive locations, ranging from state-sponsored influence operations to simple profit-seeking. Darren Linvill of Clemson University noted some accounts “are just trying to make a buck by pretending to be American.”

Bier has promised “nearly 99.99%” accuracy and said incorrect data would be updated periodically on a delayed schedule to preserve privacy.