X, Formerly Twitter, Introduces USD1 Annual Fee in New Zealand and the Philippines to Combat Bots

In a bid to fortify its defense against malicious bots, X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has initiated a trial phase of a USD1.00 annual subscription for new users specifically in New Zealand and the Philippines.

This announcement, first reported by Fortune, unveiled a subscription plan designed to enhance the integrity of the platform, which would require new users to pay the said subscription fee to access essential functions such as tweeting, replying, retweeting, and liking.

The new subscription method is slated to start on October 17th, 2023 and was dubbed “Not A Bot.”

X CEO Elon Musk emphasized the importance of this new model.

“This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount,” Musk said.

For new users in New Zealand and the Philippines, the process involves phone number verification and an annual subscription fee.

Meanwhile, users who decide to opt out of the subscription service will be relegated to “read only” privileges, limiting them to actions such as reading posts, watching videos, and following accounts.

Musk had previously hinted at charging all users, emphasizing the need to deter bot operators. He explained, “Plus, every time a bot creator wanted to make another bot, they would need another new payment method.” (GFB)