Elon Musk has announced social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, will charge users under a new initiative.
The charge comes as part of a new “Not A Bot” program in which new users will be required to sign up to a $1 annual subscription.
The program is the site’s latest effort to try and tackle the issue of bot accounts.
The support page for the social media site confirmed that existing users are “not affected”.
A spokesperson for the company shared a statement on the X support page stating that the program will launch in New Zealand and the Philippines from October 18.
The statement was reposted on Musk’s personal X page.
“Starting today, we’re testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines,” the post read.
“New, unverified accounts will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post & interact with other posts. Within this test, existing users are not affected.
“This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount.
“It is not a profit driver.
“And so far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
