X is expanding the scope of its content governance transparency tools. Going forward, users whose posts are restricted due to the platform’s compliance with local legal requirements will see accompanying explanations, with some information noting the specific country and the content involved.
Traffic restrictions caused by government requirements will be displayed.
This update, announced by X on Monday, is an extension of the previously introduced "Under the Hood" feature. The tool originally allowed users to see whether an account or post had been labeled and whether such actions affected visibility.
After the update, users can also see if a post has been demoted due to government-mandated content filtering or blocked in specific countries. The platform will list relevant posts in the exported data file and specify which country made the legal request.
Previously, users found it difficult to understand the reason for the processing.
Previously, regular users typically could not directly check whether their accounts or posts were being shadowbanned, nor could they easily determine the reason. As a result, controversy surrounding "shadow banning" has persisted for a long time, with many users questioning whether the platform is secretly suppressing content visibility.
X began rolling out this transparency toolkit in August this year, aiming to make the platform's moderation and distribution decisions more visible to the public. Under current rules, users who post at least 10 times in a given month can download a JSON data file from the app settings to view aggregated account information.
Transparency measures continue to expand
This update continues X’s recent efforts toward transparency. Previously, X disclosed portions of the “Recommended for You” feed algorithm and is now further opening up additional code details, including model configurations, filtering methods, and select parameters of the core ranking system.
This information helps outsiders understand how the platform evaluates different signals when displaying content and which posts are more likely to appear in users' main feeds. Previously, Keith Coleman, Vice President of Product at X, said that this level of transparency would surprise many people.