X will now tell users when governments have forced it to limit their posts
News Source
•Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:45:35 +0000
📰 What Happened
X says it will now tell users when their posts are shown to fewer people because of local laws. The change expands a tool called Under the Hood, which already showed labels on accounts and posts.
The tool now also shows when a government's rules caused a post to be pushed down. Users who posted at least 10 times in a month can download their stats as a JSON file.
That file lists which posts were withheld in which country, and which government asked.
🔍 The Backstory
Until now, users could not see if their account was limited for legal reasons. Many people accused X of “shadowbanning” them without any explanation.
Most companies share government requests only as overall numbers in transparency reports, not per user. X began changing that in August with the Under the Hood tool.
X has also released its For You feed algorithm and parts of its code, including details on how posts are ranked.
🎯 Why It Matters
Letting users see government-forced limits is a big step for transparency. Critics say some countries use these laws to silence people, so openness matters.
X says it will now tell users when their posts are shown to fewer people because of local laws. The change expands a tool called Under the Hood, which already showed labels on accounts and posts.
The tool now also shows when a government's rules caused a post to be pushed down. Users who posted at least 10 times in a month can download their stats as a JSON file.
That file lists which posts were withheld in which country, and which government asked.
Until now, users could not see if their account was limited for legal reasons. Many people accused X of “shadowbanning” them without any explanation.
Most companies share government requests only as overall numbers in transparency reports, not per user. X began changing that in August with the Under the Hood tool.
X has also released its For You feed algorithm and parts of its code, including details on how posts are ranked.
Letting users see government-forced limits is a big step for transparency. Critics say some countries use these laws to silence people, so openness matters.