After weeks of hypothesis, X has confirmed its plans to cost new customers for the service beforehand referred to as Twitter. The corporate shared particulars a few new subscription known as “Not a Bot,” that it’s at the moment 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 publish. “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 important efforts to cut back spam, manipulation of our platform and bot exercise. This can consider a probably highly effective measure to assist us fight bots and spammers on X, whereas balancing platform accessibility with the small payment quantity.”
Underneath the scheme, new customers will probably be required to confirm their telephone numbers and pay the $1 payment in the event that they need to use core options like tweets, retweets, bookmarks and likes. Those that who don’t pay will solely be capable to use X in a “learn solely” mode.
The corporate mentioned that for now the charges won’t apply to current customers. “It isn’t a revenue driver,” X mentioned.
Beginning at this time, we're testing a brand new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. New, unverified accounts will probably be required to enroll in a $1 annual subscription to have the ability to publish & work together with different posts. Inside this check, current customers usually are not affected.
This…
— Assist (@Assist) October 17, 2023
Nonetheless, the preliminary check will possible gas hypothesis that X does plan to someday cost all customers. Throughout a livestreamed dialog with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu final month, Elon Musk recommended he was contemplating some form of necessary cost as a part of an effort to fight bots and spam.
“Subscription choices have confirmed to be the principle answer that works at scale,” X mentioned in a publish 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 carry banking and different to X. Based on his biographer, Walter Isaacson, Musk’s push to sign-up subscribers was very along with his quest to construct an “all the things app,” and Musk grew indignant when he discovered Apple doesn’t share bank card particulars of those that join 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
