Elon Musk Confirms Plans to Charge New s on X a ‘Small Fee’ Before They Can Write Posts oo1x Technology News

If X changes its policy, new s will also not be able to like, reply to, or bookmark a post without paying the fee. 2a6b6e

Written by David Delima | Updated: 16 April 2024 19:04 IST

Photo Credit: Reuters 3v6d2p

Earlier, new X s in New Zealand and the Philippines were reportedly being charged to write posts

Highlights

Elon Musk wants to bring this policy to reduce spam
Reportedly, new s on X will be charged an annual fee
The duration for which s will have to pay the fee is not known

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Twitter) could soon start charging new s an annual fee to give them access to write, like, reply to, or bookmark posts on the platform. The billionaire confirmed the plans to charge new s on the microblogging platform on Monday, stating that the move was aimed at reducing spam on X. A recurring fee on an annual basis could be charged, according to a report, but there is no clarity on the duration for which s will be charged for these basic privileges on the platform.

Musk confirmed the development after @xDaily, an that posts news related to the social media platform, re-shared a code tracker's post about the platform charging new s before they can make posts. The original poster @xUpdatesRadar claimed to have found the information about this policy within the strings of codes within the web version of X. Replying to the speculation, Musk said, “Unfortunately, a small fee for new write access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots. Current AI (and troll farms) can “are you a bot” with ease.”

The onslaught of fake s also uses up the available namespace, so many good handles are taken as a result
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 15, 2024

The original post found information that hints at how the new policy might work. One block of text stated, “New s are required to pay a small annual fee before you're able to post, like, bookmark, and reply. This is to reduce spam and to create a better experience for everyone. You can still follow s and browse X for free.” The also claimed that the company had earlier tested this policy in New Zealand and the Philippines.

X Expands key on Its iOS App to s Globally

While curbing spam seems to be the main reason behind the move, Musk also shared another reason for enacting the subscription model for new s. In a separate post, he said, “The onslaught of fake s also uses up the available namespace, so many good handles are taken as a result.”

The announcement has garnered mixed reaction from the base. Some s called the decision “unfortunate but necessary”, pointing at the issue of bot s spamming popular posts, while others expressed concerns over its effectiveness. One said, “Bot farmers have money, as do professional trolls and influence operators. If anything, they're more likely to be willing to pay than authentic s because this is literally their income stream.”

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Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen ing his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing ionate opinions on food. More