X, Led by Elon Musk, Introduces Annual Account Creation Fees in Two Nations as the Sole Measure to Combat Bots
Rumors of Elon Musk implementing fees for creating new accounts on X have circulated for some time. Musk had hinted at the possibility of introducing fees for platform usage in the past, mentioning this during a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He suggested that future users might be required to pay a modest monthly fee to access X. Now, it’s official: Elon Musk announced on Tuesday that the platform will indeed charge new users for creating an account.
This fee is presently limited to users in two countries and specifically those attempting to create web accounts. The subscription method, named “Not A Bot,” aims to curb bot activity, spam, and platform manipulation. X users who do not wish to pay a subscription fee can still create an account, but their interaction capabilities will be restricted to ‘read-only’ actions like viewing posts, watching videos, and following accounts, with no ability to post their own content or engage with posts.
Elon Musk confirmed this development in a tweet, stating, ‘Read for free, but pay USD 1/year to write. It’s the only way to combat bots without blocking genuine users. While this won’t completely eliminate bots, it will make it significantly more challenging to manipulate the platform.’
The “Not A Bot” method is currently being tested in two countries: New Zealand and the Philippines. The reasons for selecting these two countries and whether X plans to extend this method to other nations in the future remain unclear.
For users in these two countries, the account creation process involves verifying their phone number and selecting a subscription plan, the cost of which varies depending on the country and currency. X provides new users in these countries with various web-based actions, including posting content, liking posts, replying, reposting, quoting other accounts’ posts, and bookmarking posts.
Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, formerly known as X, in a highly publicized deal last October has brought significant changes to the social media platform. Musk’s vision is to transform Twitter into an ‘everything app,’ allowing users to make payments, express their opinions, connect with others, and more.
Before Musk’s ownership, Twitter primarily served as a social media platform where users could express themselves within limited word constraints. Under his leadership, the platform has expanded to include longer videos, extended tweet lengths, subscription features, and more.
