X (the former Twitter) has started charging $1 annually for new accounts in New Zealand and the Philippines. It is a test, but it seems that it will be applied universally on Elon Musk's social network as a social network system to avoid the presence of bots (chat programs that impersonate people).
From now on, new accounts in both countries will go through a one-dollar-a-year subscription called Not a Bot. The social network noted in a post from its help center: “it has been designed to reinforce our already significant efforts to reduce spam and manipulation of our platform.” Each new account will need to be verified by phone number before being approved.
To questions from accounts on X, Elon Musk explained that accessing the content of the social network to read it will be free, but that you will have to pay that dollar to be able to write messages. “It's the only way to fight bots without blocking real users. This will not stop the bots completely, but it will be 1,000 times more difficult to manipulate the platform,” explained the owner of X.
The start of the program in two countries is only the pilot test. The social network clarified that, for the moment, current accounts will remain as they were, without the need to pay. This annual fee will allow, in the web version of the platform: “publish content, Like, Reply, Repost, Quote posts from other accounts and Flag posts.”
