Image Credit: Trevor Cokley
Elon Musk's social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), has begun testing a subscription model called "Not A Bot" in the Philippines and New Zealand. The plan, priced at $1 annually, grants users the ability to post content, like posts, reply, repost, and quote others. Users who opt not to pay will have "read-only" access, allowing them to read posts, watch videos, and follow accounts.
Musk announced that X will remain free to read but will charge users $1 per year to write, citing this as an essential measure to combat bots without restricting real users. The move follows X's shift from Twitter and its renaming as X in July 2022 after Musk acquired the platform and dismissed Twitter's senior management team.
He anticipates that the fee will deter the creation of bot accounts and make manipulation of the platform significantly more challenging. X's recent test of the "Not A Bot" subscription plan aims to minimize spam, platform manipulation, and bot activity while maintaining platform accessibility through a modest fee. Existing users remain unaffected by this test, which introduces phone number verification for new accounts in the Philippines and New Zealand
