Elon Musk has confirmed that his social media platform ‘X,’ formerly known as Twitter, will implement a charge for new users wishing to post content. Musk stated that this move is necessary to tackle the persistent issue of bot accounts flooding the platform.
In a recent post on ‘X,’ Musk explained, “Unfortunately, a small fee for new user write access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots. Current AI (and troll farms) can pass ‘are you a bot’ with ease.” He emphasized that artificial intelligence tools and troll farms have been adept at circumventing the platform’s user verification processes, blurring the lines between human users and automated accounts.
Furthermore, Musk highlighted that the proliferation of fake accounts has led to a scarcity of available usernames, affecting genuine users’ ability to secure desired handles. The social media platform initiated a “system purge” of bot and troll accounts earlier this month, although the effectiveness of the effort remains uncertain. Responding to a user’s comment expressing frustration over unavailable usernames, Musk revealed, “We’ve freed up over a million so far. Will free up tens of millions in the coming weeks. However, as soon as we do this, the bot armies immediately snatch the namespace back again!”
The shift in policy was initially flagged by an automated account monitoring changes to X’s website before being confirmed by Musk. Previous experiments involved charging users in the Philippines and New Zealand a $1 annual subscription fee to post and engage with other users on the platform.
The updated terms and conditions, including the “Not-a-Bot” page, indicate that new accounts must pay a “small annual fee” to post, like, bookmark, or reply to tweets. However, browsing the platform and following accounts will remain free for new users.
Representatives for X have yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the new policy, which comes amidst mounting criticism over the platform’s inability to stem the tide of spam accounts promoting pornographic material and counterfeit products.
While Musk blames the bots and fake users for this development, this also comes after the billionaire himself confirmed that he maintained two secret accounts on his social media platform X, including one that appears to be used to roleplay as his young son. This admission came during a heated deposition as part of a libel lawsuit against Musk.
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