Key Takeaways

• Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin called a new X feature that reveals an account holder’s country “risky” and “wrong,” agreeing with crypto users who flagged serious privacy and security concerns.

• The feature, intended to ensure platform integrity, was criticized by executives like Uniswap’s Hayden Adams as a form of “mandatory doxing,” which could be used by bad actors to target high-net-worth individuals.

• Buterin specifically stated that forcing the reveal of country information “non-consensually without offering any opt-out option” is a “privacy retroactively rugpulled” for individuals who rely on anonymity.

X Rolls Out Risky Location Feature, Buterin Expresses Alarm

X (still Twitter to some) dropped a new feature over the weekend that automatically shows your country of origin, and the crypto community immediately erupted with privacy warnings. Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, led the charge, calling the non-consensual sharing of this location data “risky.”

X Product Director Nikita Bier defended the rollout as a measure to enhance platform integrity and verify the provenance of information, but the crypto community views the policy as a serious erosion of user privacy.

While Buterin initially noted the change could have positive effects, such as increasing visibility into community sentiments, he quickly retracted that support after considering user feedback. He stated that forcing users to reveal their country “non-consensually without offering any opt-out option… is wrong.”

The major fear among crypto users is that the feature makes it easier for bad actors to track and potentially target high-worth investors for in-person attacks or harassment. Buterin summarized the core ethical breach: “In most cases, revealing country still leaves a very large anonymity set, but there are some people for whom even a few bits of leakage are risky, and they should not have their privacy retroactively rugpulled with no recourse.”

Crypto Executives Cite Mandatory Doxing and Opt-Out Issues

The sentiment was echoed by other influential figures in the crypto space. Uniswap founder Hayden Adams was firmly against the mandatory nature of the feature, declaring, “I hate it.

Opt-in doxing is fine, mandatory doxing is psychotic.” Andrei David, CTO at DeFi platform Summer.fi, emphasized the poor implementation, arguing that a “privacy-sensitive feature should always start with the least revealing setting.” 

The consensus among security-conscious executives is that even seemingly benign location data can, when combined with other public information, significantly erode user anonymity.

The privacy backlash prompted the platform to clarify its stance. Bier noted that a privacy toggle exists to show only an account’s region, intended for users in countries where speech carries penalties.

Thankfully, the X user “Langerius” provided a quick guide for concerned users on how to access the menu: Settings & privacy → Privacy & safety → Disable country visibility or switch to a less specific region/continent setting.

Political Concerns vs. Personal Safety

While many crypto users fear personal safety risks, some users, including crypto venture capitalist Nic Carter, argued the feature is necessary to prevent foreign interference by accounts masquerading as being from a specific country to influence political discourse. Others downplayed the risk, arguing that revealing a country like the US, with a population of 350 million, still provides a large anonymity set.

Final Thoughts

Vitalik Buterin’s sharp rebuke of X’s new location feature highlights a growing rift between centralized social media platforms prioritizing integrity through transparency and the crypto community prioritizing personal privacy and security. The “mandatory doxing” nature of the rollout serves as a stark warning about the risks of building wealth and identity on platforms that can unilaterally revoke anonymity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Vitalik Buterin call the feature “risky”?
He argues it can be used by bad actors to track high-net-worth users, effectively performing a “privacy rugpull” for security-conscious individuals.

What was the original stated purpose of the feature?
The X product director said the feature was rolled out to ensure platform integrity and allow users to verify the information shared by an account.

Is there a way to opt out of the full country disclosure?
Yes, users can navigate to Settings & privacy to disable country visibility or switch to displaying only a broader region or continent.