Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced that it will test a new subscription model under which it will charge an annual fee of $1 for basic features.
Termed as “Not A Bot”, this new subscription will charge unverified users for likes, reposts, quoting other accounts’ posts, and bookmarking posts on the web version of X.
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…
— Support (@Support) October 17, 2023
As the announcement says, existing users are not affected. However, users who do not want to subscribe will only be able to view and read posts, watch videos, and follow accounts. Their own participation on the microblogging platform will be severely restricted.
The official purpose of this new subscription is to combat bots and spammers, according to X. This has apparently been a contentious issue for X-owner Elon Musk, who acquired the company last year for $44 billion. Nor is this the first time X has taken action against alleged internal issues: in July, Musk introduced a limit on viewing tweets, supposedly “to ensure the authenticity” of the platform’s user base.
According to X, this new subscription method will first be available for users in New Zealand and the Philippines. The fee will also vary from country to country based on the exchange rate.
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