Oct. 18 (UPI) — X has started testing a new $1 annual fee in two countries to combat non-human accounts or “bots” that post content.
The social media platform, previously known as Twitter, launched the fee — called “Not A Bot” — in New Zealand and the Philippines on Tuesday. Users who choose not to pay the fee will only have access to “read only actions” such as reading posts, watching videos, and following accounts.
“This new program aims to protect against bots and spammers who try to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of X users,” X stated.
In a post on Tuesday, X owner Elon Musk clarified that users will still be able to read posts for free but will need to pay to make their own posts.
“Correct, read for free, but $1/year to write. It’s the only way to fight bots without blocking real users. This won’t stop bots completely, but it will be [1,000 times] harder to manipulate the platform,” Musk wrote.
Paying the fee will also grant users the ability to like and save posts, as well as reply to, repost, and quote posts from other accounts.
Existing users will not be affected during the test period, and X will share the results of the test “soon.”
“This new test was developed to strengthen our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform, and bot activity,” X stated in a press release. “This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while maintaining platform accessibility with the small fee amount.”
In September, Musk mentioned considering a subscription fee. He stated that the company was transitioning to a small monthly payment for the use of the X system.
The new fee is being implemented as X reported a $344 million loss in the most recent quarterly earnings report, following an $8-per-month fee for the blue check-mark status on X accounts.
Last month, X announced plans to collect biometric and employment information from premium subscribers to verify users’ identities and facilitate future job-finding features.
Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October last year and laid off nearly half of the staff. X has faced financial struggles and challenges in combating bot accounts and hate speech since then.
