X testing $1 user fee to fight spam

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, announced it is testing a new program under which new users will be charged a $1 annual fee in an effort to fight spam and fake accounts on the website. 

In a post Tuesday, X’s support team said the initiative, Not A Bot, will require new unverified accounts to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post and interact with other posts.

Under the program, new users that pay the fee will be able to perform certain actions on the platform such as post content, like posts, reply, repost and quote other accounts’ posts and bookmark posts.

New users who decide to opt out of the program, meanwhile, will be able to take “read only” actions, such as reading posts, watching videos and following accounts.

The program is being tested in New Zealand and the Philippines. Existing users will not be affected, the company said.

“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,” X’s support team said in its post. “It is not a profit driver. And so far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale.” 

This comes nearly a year after billionaire Elon Musk acquired the platform for $44 billion. 

Since Musk’s acquisition, X has undergone a slew of contentious changes, including an overhaul of its verification system and limits on the number of posts users can see and direct messages they can send.