Why Elon Musk wants to charge you a ‘small fee’ to post on X

Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, may soon start charging new users an annual fee so they can write, like, reply to or bookmark posts on the platform . The billionaire on Monday confirmed plans to charge new users on the Weibo platform, saying the move was aimed at reducing spam on X. It has been reported that an annual recurring fee may be charged, but this is currently unclear. The duration of the fee for users to obtain these basic permissions on the platform.

Musk confirmed the development after @xDaily, an account that publishes news related to the social media platform, reshared the code tracker. postal Information about platforms charging new users before they can post. The original poster @xUpdatesRadar claimed to have found information about this policy in the code string of the web version of X. Responding to the speculation, Musk said: “Unfortunately, charging a small fee for write access for new users is the only way to curb the bots’ relentless attacks.” Current AI (and troll farms) can easily pass “are you a robot”.

The original post found information hinting at how the new policy would work. One text reads: “New accounts require a small annual fee before you can post, like, bookmark and reply. This is to reduce spam and create a better experience for everyone. You can still follow for free account and browse X.” The account also claimed that the company had previously tested this policy in New Zealand and the Philippines.

While curbing spam appears to be the main reason behind the move, Musk also shared another reason for creating a subscription model for new users.in separate postal“Fake account attacks also use up the available namespace, so many good accounts are compromised,” he said.

The announcement drew mixed reactions from the user base.Some users is called The decision, which is “unfortunate but necessary,” points to the issue of bot accounts spamming popular posts, while others have raised concerns about their effectiveness.one user explain”, “Bot farmers have money, and so do professional trolls and influence operators. If anything, they’re more willing to pay than real users because that’s actually where their revenue comes from. “