After weeks of speculation, X has officially announced its decision to introduce a subscription service for new users of the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Not a Bot” This new service is currently in the testing phase in New Zealand and the Philippines.
As reported by Fortune, “Not a Bot” subscription, requires new users to pay an annual fee equivalent to $1 to post tweets. X made the following statement: “As of October 17, 2023, we have started testing ‘Not a Bot’, a new subscription method for new users in two countries. This new test is designed to strengthen our ongoing efforts to combat spam, platform manipulation and bot activity. “It represents a potential measure to help us address bots and spammers on X while maintaining accessibility at a modest fee.”
Under this subscription model, new users must verify their phone number and pay a $1 fee to access basic features such as tweeting, retweeting, bookmarking, and liking posts. Users who choose not to pay will be able to access X in “read-only” mode.
X announced that these fees will not apply to existing users and emphasized that this initiative is not for profit. However, this initial trial could spark debate about the company’s plans to charge all users in the future. In his recent livestream conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk hinted at the possibility of implementing mandatory payments to combat bots and spam.
X highlighted the effectiveness of subscription options as a scalable solution to address platform challenges. Musk’s previous comments on this subject had sparked mixed reactions, and X’s rival Bluesky had seen increased activity in response to Musk’s statements.
There have been reports suggesting that Musk has long had a desire to access users’ credit card and billing information, and that this aligns with his vision of offering banking and other financial services on X. According to Musk biographer Walter Isaacson, Musk’s drive to attract subscribers was closely tied to his desire to create an all-encompassing app. Musk was reportedly disappointed to learn that Apple did not share the credit card information of iPhone users who signed up for the services.
As of now, X has not responded to requests for further comment on this development.