After weeks of hypothesis, X has confirmed its plans to cost new customers for the service beforehand generally known as Twitter. The corporate shared particulars a few new subscription referred to as “Not a Bot,” that it’s presently testing in New Zealand and the Philippines.
The subscription, which was first reported by Fortune, requires new customers to pay the equal of $1 USD per yr so as to have the ability to put up. “As of October seventeenth, 2023 we’ve began testing ‘Not A Bot,’ a brand new subscription technique for brand new customers in two international locations,” X explains. “This new check was developed to bolster our already vital efforts to scale back spam, manipulation of our platform and bot exercise. It will consider a doubtlessly highly effective measure to assist us fight bots and spammers on X, whereas balancing platform accessibility with the small charge quantity.”
Below the scheme, new customers shall be required to confirm their cellphone numbers and pay the $1 charge in the event that they wish to use core options like tweets, retweets, bookmarks and likes. Those that who don’t pay will solely be capable of use X in a “learn solely” mode.
The corporate stated that for now the charges is not going to apply to current customers. “It isn’t a revenue driver,” X stated.
Beginning immediately, we're testing a brand new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. New, unverified accounts shall be required to join a $1 annual subscription to have the ability to put up & work together with different posts. Inside this check, current customers should not affected.
This…
— Help (@Help) October 17, 2023
Nonetheless, the preliminary check will doubtless gasoline hypothesis that X does plan to someday cost all customers. Throughout a livestreamed dialog with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu final month, Elon Musk suggested he was contemplating some sort of obligatory fee as a part of an effort to fight bots and spam.
“Subscription choices have confirmed to be the primary resolution that works at scale,” X stated in a put up from its help account. Musk’s earlier feedback proved unpopular and on X rival Bluesky noticed a surge in exercise following the remarks.
Others have additionally reported that Musk has lengthy had ambitions to achieve entry to customers’ bank card and billing data, which might additional his plan to convey banking and different to X. In accordance with his biographer, Walter Isaacson, Musk’s push to sign-up subscribers was very along with his quest to construct an “every little thing app,” and Musk grew indignant when he discovered Apple doesn’t share bank card particulars of those that enroll with their iPhones.
X didn’t reply to a request for remark.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-is-starting-to-charge-new-users-1-per-year-to-send-tweets-000925191.html?src=rss
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