X will stop paying international creators for posts about American politics starting March 26, 2026, to stop users from pretending they live in the United States. Nikita Bier, Head of Product at X, announced the policy change to reward content that appeals to a creator's own country and language. On Thursday, X will update its revenue-sharing system globally to prioritize engagement from a user's home region over foreign political commentary.
X updates revenue rules to prioritize local engagement over global political commentary
Nikita Bier, the Head of Product at X, announced that the social media platform is changing how it pays creators for their posts. The new system will give more weight to engagement that comes from a user's home region. This means if a creator lives in India, they will earn more when other people in India or nearby countries interact with their content. Bier said the goal is to encourage people to make posts that resonate with their own neighbors and those who speak their language.
The company is specifically trying to stop accounts from outside the United States and Japan from focusing on those specific markets to make money. The US and Japan have the largest number of users on the platform, which makes them the most profitable targets for creators. By changing the math behind the payments, X hopes to stop users from "gaming the attention" of these high-value audiences. This change means that a "like" from a person in the creator's own country may soon be worth more than a "like" from a stranger across the ocean.
Bier clarified that while everyone is still allowed to talk about American politics, the company will no longer pay for that content if the creator is based overseas. This move separates the right to speak from the right to earn money through the platform's ad-sharing program. If a user in Europe or Africa posts about a US election, they can still get views, but those views will not turn into a paycheck from X. The platform is shifting its financial rewards toward local news, culture, and personal experiences.
Transparency features exposed thousands of accounts pretending to be American
This policy change follows a series of events that began late last year when X introduced a transparency feature. This tool showed the actual physical location of accounts that were part of the revenue-sharing program. Before this, many popular accounts claimed to be based in the United States and focused entirely on American political drama. The transparency tool revealed that dozens of these accounts, which had millions of followers, were actually operating from India, Kenya, and Nigeria.
The BBC reported that many of these accounts posted pro-Trump sentiments or intense commentary on US social issues to get high engagement. Because the US ad market pays more than most other countries, these creators could earn a full-time living by pretending to be Americans. This created a situation where the "For You" feed for American users was often filled with content made by people who had never visited the country. X is now using its payment system to correct this trend by making it less profitable to act like a local from a different continent.
In the past, social media platforms generally paid creators based on total views or ad impressions regardless of where the creator lived. This created a global competition for attention where creators in low-income countries could earn large sums by targeting high-income audiences. X is the first major platform to explicitly state that it will stop sending money overseas for specific types of political content. This marks a departure from the "global village" idea that has guided social media for the last two decades.
International creators face income drops as X targets the attention economy
The new rules will have a direct effect on thousands of digital creators who have built their careers on X. Those who live in countries with smaller user bases or lower ad rates may see their earnings fall sharply. For example, a creator in Portugal told Nikita Bier that their country has very few users, making it hard to earn money from local engagement alone. Bier responded by suggesting that creators should share their day-to-day experiences instead of chasing foreign political trends.
This shift affects not just the creators, but also the quality of information on the platform. By removing the money motive for foreign accounts to post about US politics, X may reduce the amount of "engagement bait" or sensationalist content. However, it also means that genuine international perspectives on American policy might be silenced because they are no longer financially sustainable to produce. The people most affected are those in developing nations who used X as a primary source of income by tapping into the wealthy US advertising market.
Advertisers in the US and Japan are also affected by this change. These companies pay a premium to reach local customers, but their ads were often appearing next to content made by people thousands of miles away. If the new policy works, ads for US products will more likely appear next to content made by people living in the US. This could make the advertising on X more effective for businesses that only operate in specific regions.
Three major changes coming to the X revenue sharing program
The update to the revenue-sharing policy introduces three specific shifts in how the platform calculates payments for its paid subscribers. These changes are designed to be immediate and will be visible in the next payment cycle for creators. The platform has confirmed the following adjustments:
- Engagement from the creator's home country and neighboring regions will carry more weight in the payment formula.
- Posts about United States politics made by accounts verified outside the US will no longer be eligible for ad-revenue sharing.
- The system will prioritize content written in the creator's native or local language to encourage regional community building.
These changes mean that the "value" of a view is no longer equal across the globe. To understand this, imagine a local shop owner who gets a bonus for serving people in their own neighborhood instead of trying to sell to tourists who are just passing through. X is trying to turn its creators into "local shop owners" for their own cultures rather than "tourist traps" for global attention. This is a fundamental change in how digital attention is bought and sold.
Concerns grow over creator sustainability in smaller markets
One of the main risks of this policy is that it might make X less attractive for creators in smaller countries. In nations like Portugal, Greece, or many parts of Southeast Asia, the local user base may not be large enough to support a professional creator. If these users cannot earn money by talking to a global audience, they may stop posting on X entirely. This could lead to a "brain drain" where the most talented creators move to other platforms like YouTube or TikTok that do not have regional payment restrictions.
There is also uncertainty about how X will define "US politics." Political issues often overlap with global news, economics, and human rights. It is not yet clear if a post about global trade or climate change will be flagged as "US politics" if it mentions an American leader. If the filter is too broad, it could accidentally demonetize legitimate news reporting from international journalists. X has not yet explained the specific technology or keywords it will use to identify and block payments for political content.
Another concern is the potential for users to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to hide their true location. If a creator in India uses a VPN to make it look like they are in New York, they might try to bypass these new rules. X will need to use advanced location tracking to ensure that the "home region" engagement is real. If the company fails to stop location spoofing, the new policy will not achieve its goal of cleaning up the platform's discourse.
New payment rules take effect on March 26
The new revenue-sharing policy is expected to start on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Creators who are part of the X Premium program will likely see updates to their analytics dashboards on that day. The company has confirmed that the rules apply to all current members of the revenue-sharing program. No action is required from creators to opt-in, as the system will update automatically based on the location data X already has on file.
X has not announced a grace period for creators to change their content strategy. This means that posts made on or after Thursday will immediately fall under the new weighting system. Creators who rely on X for their monthly income will need to monitor their "Estimated Earnings" tab to see how the change affects their bank accounts. The platform is expected to provide more detailed documentation for creators in the "Help Center" once the rollout begins.
Key Numbers and Facts
The confirmed figures behind this story at a glance.
Key Fact Detail Main person or organisation X (formerly Twitter) and Nikita Bier Main action or decision Changing revenue-sharing to favor local engagement Date or period Thursday, March 26, 2026 Location Global (Targeting US and Japan engagement) Amount, figure, or scale Not specified Previous status Payments based on global engagement and ad views Current status Payments restricted for overseas political content Primary effect Reduced income for foreign creators posting on US politics Next confirmed step Policy implementation on March 26
X moves to end the era of digital carpetbagging
By cutting off the money flow to international accounts that pretend to be American, X is attempting to restore a sense of place to a platform that has long felt placeless. This decision suggests that the company values the authenticity of its community more than the raw number of views generated by controversial political posts. If successful, this could reduce the amount of foreign-led misinformation that often floods the platform during American election cycles. The true test will be whether creators can find enough value in their own local cultures to stay on the platform without the lure of the American dollar.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does X know my real location for payments?
X uses a combination of your IP address, your phone's GPS data, and the billing address of your X Premium subscription to determine your home region. The platform recently added transparency features that show this location data to other users to prevent people from faking their country of origin. If you move to a different country, you will likely need to update your account settings and payment details to reflect your new home.
Can I still post about US politics if I live outside the US?
Yes, you are still allowed to post your opinions and commentary on American politics regardless of where you live. However, you will no longer receive any money from the revenue-sharing program for those specific posts if you are based outside the United States. The policy only changes how you are paid, not what you are allowed to say on the platform.
What should I post to keep making money on X?
Nikita Bier suggests that creators should focus on their day-to-day experiences, local news, and topics that interest people in their own country or language group. The new system rewards engagement from your neighbors, so content that is relevant to your specific region will now be more profitable than global political trends. You should look for stories and discussions that are unique to your local community to maximize your earnings.
