X has officially announced its new subscription plan called “Not a Bot,” which is currently in the testing phase in New Zealand and the Philippines. This subscription plan, as reported by Fortune, requires new users to pay an annual fee of $1 to access certain Twitter features.
A Step to Combat Spam and Bots
X introduced this new subscription plan to strengthen its efforts in reducing spam, platform manipulation, and bot activity. The goal is to create a system that can effectively combat these issues while still maintaining accessibility to the platform.
Subscription Details
New users who opt for “Not a Bot” will need to verify their phone numbers and pay a $1 fee. In return, they gain access to essential features like posting tweets, retweets, saving bookmarks, and liking posts. Users who choose not to subscribe will be limited to a “read-only” mode.
No Plans to Charge Existing Users
X has clarified that existing users will not be subjected to these fees at this time. The primary purpose of this initiative is not profit generation but to enhance user experience.
Speculation About Future Expansion
Despite this, there is speculation that X might extend these charges to all users in the future. Elon Musk, the CEO of X, has previously hinted at the possibility of mandatory payments as a measure to combat bots and spam. Musk’s broader goal includes expanding into banking and providing additional financial services through X.
Musk’s ambition to attract subscribers is part of his vision to create an all-encompassing application similar to WeChat in China. He has also expressed interest in accessing users’ credit card and billing information, aligning with his larger business objectives.
