One of the stated objectives of Elon Musk after purchasing Twitter in 2022 was to end the bots. Among the numerous changes that have been implemented on the platform since then, There have not been any that were effective against this problem, but that could change soon. The tycoon has indicated in X that charge 'a small fee 'Giving write access to new users is the only way to stop the bots' relentless attack.'
This idea is not new to the old Twitter. The social network has been running a pilot test since last October in New Zealand and Philippines for which new users must pay the amount of 1 dollar a year just to be able to publish and use standard X features that are not part of the premium subscription.
Musk addressed the issue in a message exchange with the account X Daily News which follows the news of X. It pointed out some changes detected in the terms of service of X and in which it is noted that 'new accounts must pay a small fee annual before you can post, like, save posts and reply. This is to reduce spam and create a better experience for everyone. (Without the fee) You can follow other accounts and browse X for free.'
SPECULATION: X might be expanding its policy to charge new users before they reply/like/bookmark a post https://t.co/odqeyeiHBxpic.twitter.com/EU71qlwQ0D
— X Daily News (@xDaily) April 15, 2024
In a second version of the text reported by X Daily News, the term 'annual' was not present. These changes have been found by the X Updates Radar account in the code of the X websitebut they are not visible to the visitor.
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 15, 2024
In his response, the owner of X added that 'current AI (and troll farms) they can pass “are you a robot?” easily', referring to the CAPTCHA that try to avoid non-human registrations, and pointed out as a collateral problem that many bots They were made with the best usernames on the platform, reducing the options to those who are not. The change in the usage policy, which does not indicate which country it corresponds to, was detected this Monday, without any further indication that it will be a change that extends to the rest of the markets immediately.
Subsequently, and following another user's question about the possible fee, Musk added that new accounts that pay 'will be able to perform writing actions for free after 3 months', which reinforces the idea that it will not be an annual fee.