X charges new users in two countries; Musk might expand it to rest of world soon; here's what you need to know

In a new move under the “Not A Bot” programme, new X users will need to pay $1 per year to post on the platform, although they can read other posts for free. Unpaid accounts created from these two countries will not be able to post but follow the accounts they want to. The trial by X is likely to be extended to other countries based on the revenue generation and patronage.

Hyderabad: In a latest development, Elon Musk unveiled the new subscription model under which users will need to pay $1 per year to post on the platform, while they will still be allowed to opt for a free service with restrictions. The free users will be able to read posts of the accounts they follow but not post.

The new paid service trial will offer the user the option to post, repost, like posts and reply to posts. The company is rolling out the test of this new programme in New Zealand and the Philippines, before it launches it globally.

“Read for free, but $1/year to write. It’s the only way to fight bots without blocking real users,” Musk posted. “This won’t stop bots completely, but it will be 1000X harder to manipulate the platform,” he added.

New users who opt out of subscribing will only be able to take ‘read only’ actions,” such as viewing posts and watching videos. This new programme is in addition to X’s main subscription with verified at $8 for month.

The X support handle posted a detailed announcement on the social media platform. "Starting today, we're testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. 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," the post read.

"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," the post added.

What is "Not a Bot"?- "Not A Bot” is a new subscription method for new users in two countries. This new test was developed to bolster our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity. This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. Within this test, existing users are not affected.

Here’s how this new test will work for new accounts on web in New Zealand and the Philippines:

Step One: Phone Verification

New accounts created on X, in these two countries, will first be required to verify their phone number.

Step Two: Select Your Subscription Plan

$1 USD Annual Fee (prices vary by country and currency). New users will be able to perform certain actions on the web version of the platform: post content, Like posts, Reply, Repost and Quote other accounts’ posts, Bookmark posts.=