X has revealed it’s testing a new subscription for new users, charging $1 for a year for features including sharing and liking posts.
The subscription model, called ‘Not A Bot,’ will be introduced to new users in New Zealand and the Philippines. There is no word whether this will expand to other countries, including Australia.
Users will need to verify a phone number, and will then be charged a $1 fee to post, like, share, or reply to posts on X’s web version.
New users who opt out will only be able to read posts, watch videos, and follow accounts. It was noted existing users wouldn’t be affected.
“This new test was developed to bolster our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity. This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount.”
It remains unclear whether these changes will eventually apply to the app as well.
The subscription plans fall in line with Elon Musk’s attempt to eradicate bots from the platform, a concern he has had since before he acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October last year. He even revealed once, the proliferation of bots would be a reason for pulling out of the deal.
The test comes as the company are attempting to boost revenues after marketers pulled ad dollars. Revenues were down 60% in the US, however a timeframe wasn’t specified.
Currently, X has an $8 and $11 a month premium subscription service for both web and app users. Elon even suggested possibly charging all users to solve the bot problem.
The company has also been exploring a tiered subscription model, which will charge users based on how much advertising they want to see, and other features including the ability to edit posts, and create long form content. These will be called ‘Basic,’ ‘Standard,’ and ‘Plus.’
