X, formerly known as Twitter, was owned by Elon Musk. Today, X announced that they are testing a “Not A Bot” program where users will be charged $1 per year for basic features and functions.
Previously, X introduced its premium feature. If users want the blue tick, they need to pay a fee to unlock certain features through a paid subscription. Now, according to Apple Police, X (formerly Twitter) plans to charge new users $1 per year for posting and interacting with content. The current X Premium subscription is priced at $8 per month or $84 per year.
Recent news reveals that X plans to introduce new Premium Tiers. Hints from the app’s code suggest there might be three premium categories: Premium Basic, Premium Standard, and Premium Plus.
The ‘Not a Bot’ program is currently being tested in New Zealand and the Philippines. For now, it only applies to new users. According to the Apple Police team, when they reached out to X’s support they were informed that existing users won’t be affected by this ‘Not a Bot’ test.
Reports indicate that ‘Not a Bot’ is charging users $1 per year primarily to reduce spam and multiple accounts from the same user on the X (formerly Twitter) platform. X has stated that subscription options have “proven to be the main solution that works at scale” to address these challenges.
X support wrote:
This new program aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users. We look forward to sharing more about the results soon.
In New Zealand and the Philippines, all new Twitter users are now required to verify their phone numbers. Additionally, they must pay $1 per year to create posts, reply, repost, quote posts, and bookmark posts. This move effectively places X behind a paywall, preventing users from accessing the platform’s full features without paying, despite it being ad-based.
Existing users will not be impacted by the ‘Not a Bot’ testing. New users who don’t pay the fee will only have the ability to read posts, watch videos, and follow accounts.
Ever since Musk acquired X, several features have been restricted to those who opt for the Premium version. There’s no confirmation yet on whether ‘Not A Bot’ will be introduced in other countries or offered to existing users of X who haven’t chosen the monthly premium subscription. Initially, this subscription granted access to features like an edit button, extended post lengths, text formatting, and customizable themes.
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