In a long-anticipated turn of events, Elon Musk has made good on his prior hints about enforcing mandatory charges on the widely-used social media platform, now rebranded as X (previously known as Twitter). Amidst mounting financial losses, the company has initiated a policy where new users are required to pay a nominal $1 fee to access the full features of the application.
Existing long-term Twitter/X users can breathe a sigh of relief for now, as their accounts remain exempt from any charges. According to the latest report from Fortune, the payment scheme, named ‘Not A Bot’, will initially be implemented solely in New Zealand and the Philippines, although it’s widely speculated that this might mark the beginning of a broader trend.
For those who opt not to pay, the restrictions are quite stringent. New users will be limited to following accounts and scrolling through their feeds. However, the privileges of posting tweets, retweeting, engaging in discussions, and sending direct messages will be barricaded behind the annual $1 subscription fee.
Despite relinquishing his role as X’s CEO, Elon Musk has been a prominent advocate of this shift, emphasizing that it’s an indispensable measure to combat the pervasive issue of bots while ensuring genuine users can continue to utilize the platform freely.
