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New users on X, formerly Twitter, could soon have to pay a fee before they’re able to post on the platform, a change apparently confirmed by owner Elon Musk.
In October last year, the company began testing an annual $1 for new users in the Philippines and New Zealand, designed to combat bots and spammers.
Now, fan account X Daily News has highlighted changes to the platform’s terms and conditions which state that ‘new accounts are required to pay a small annual fee before you’re able to post, like, bookmark, and reply. This is to reduce spam and to create a better experience for everyone.
‘You can still follow accounts and browse X for free.’
Replying to the post sharing the update, Mr Musk wrote: ‘Unfortunately, a small fee for new user write access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots.
‘Current AI (and troll farms) can pass “are you a bot” with ease.’
In a second post, he added: ‘The onslaught of fake accounts also uses up the available namespace, so many good handles are taken as a result.’
However, he did not confirm whether the fee would be rolled out country-by-country or be applied worldwide.
Tackling bots has been one of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s main goals since buying the platform for $44 billion in October 2022 – as well as helping to make money.
However, many users have reported seeing an increase in spam content, presumably as a result of huge staff cutbacks at the business.
Other money-making changes include offering blue tick verification for a monthly fee and the ability for users to put some posts behind a paywall available only to subscribers.
But while more people may be paying to use X, overall numbers appear to be in decline.
In February, market analysis suggested the platform had 174 million daily active users worldwide, down 15% year on year. In the same period, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat grew their audiences by up to 8.8%.
News that a wider fee will be charged to help counteract bots comes just weeks after Mr Musk said a ‘system purge of bots and trolls was underway’.
Writing on X, Mr Musk said: ‘X Corp will be tracing the people responsible and bringing the full force of the law to bear upon them.’
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