Several prominent Canadian organizations and political parties are displaying unexpected location information on the social media platform X, with their accounts showing as based in the United States despite operating entirely within Canada.
Confusion Over X's New Location Feature
The discrepancy emerged after X launched a new About This Account feature over the weekend of November 25, 2023. The platform's head of product Nikita Bier stated the feature aims to help users verify content authenticity, but it has instead created confusion among Canadian social media users.
Observers quickly noticed that accounts for the Liberal Party and the NDP were listed as based in the United States. The same applied to iconic Canadian brands including Tim Hortons and Lululemon, among others.
Canadian Organizations Confirm Domestic Operations
Spokespeople for the affected organizations were quick to clarify their actual operational locations. Liberal Party spokesperson Matteo Rossi confirmed to National Post that all party social accounts are run from Canada. Similarly, Aaron Zerfas from the NDP stated their X account was created and maintained within Canada.
A Tim Hortons representative confirmed their X account is managed from their Toronto headquarters. Lululemon had not responded to requests for comment by publication time.
Technical Explanation for Location Discrepancies
According to Courtney Gibson, a computer engineering professor at the University of Toronto and Chief Technology Officer at MedixSafe, the location information doesn't necessarily reflect where accounts are actually managed.
Gibson explained that devices connecting to the internet receive unique IP addresses that serve as identifying numbers. There are multiple reasons why these addresses might not accurately display physical location.
IP addresses can be misidentified or temporarily moved between servers, making precise location tracking difficult. Gibson compared the situation to modern telephone area codes, noting that phone numbers are no longer tied to specific geographic locations due to convenience and competition.
X's product lead Nikita Bier acknowledged that location data might be incorrect initially, noting the platform updates information periodically based on available data. These updates occur on a delayed and randomized schedule to protect user privacy.
The situation highlights the challenges of accurately determining digital location information and serves as a reminder that online location indicators may not always reflect physical reality.
