X starts charging new users $1/year in New Zealand, Philippines
X, previously called Twitter, has begun charging new users in New Zealand and the Philippines a fee of $1 per year, as part of the company's "Not A Bot" program. This initiative aims to cut down on spam, manipulation, and bot activity. However, this only applies to those who sign up through the website, not the mobile app. New web users in these countries will first have to verify their account with a phone number.
Limited access for non-subscribers
For new users who choose to opt out of the "Not A Bot" program, their access to X's features will be limited. They'll only be able to perform "read-only" actions like viewing posts and watching videos. Conversely, paying users will have access to key features including the ability to tweet, retweet, post content, like, and reply to posts. The reasoning behind this decision and the choice of countries for the initial launch remains a mystery.
Musk thinks charging users will discourage bot activity
It's important to note that the "Not A Bot" program is separate from X's main subscription plan, which costs $8 a month. Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter and rebranded it as X, believes that charging users will help discourage bot activity. However, it's estimated that only a tiny fraction of users currently pay for the main subscription. Musk also mentioned that the number of monthly users on X has reached a record high this year.
Potential expansion of "Not A Bot" program
As of now, the "Not A Bot" program is limited to new web users in New Zealand and the Philippines. If successful in reducing spam and bot activity, this initiative could potentially expand to other regions in the future.
