X, formerly known as Twitter, has started charging new users in New Zealand and the Philippines for basic features such as posting messages in a trial aimed at reducing spam.
Elon Musk’s decision to charge a $1 fee for new accounts on X was to combat platform manipulation.
Musk disclosed on Wednesday on X stating that;
“Starting today, we’re testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines.
“New, unverified accounts will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post & interact with other posts. Within this test, existing users are not affected.
“This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform, and bot activity while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver.
“And so far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale.”
He added; “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 1000X harder to manipulate the platform.”
