On Monday, Elon Musk proposed that new users on the social network X would be required to pay a small fee to access basic functions on the platform, suggesting that this change is necessary to address a longstanding issue with bots that has affected the site for years.
Musk highlighted that artificial intelligence bots and internet trolls can easily navigate bot-identifying tests.
The fee mentioned by Musk mirrors a program already implemented for new users in New Zealand and the Philippines last October under X's “Not a Bot” initiative. This program required new accounts to pay a $1 annual fee to access features such as posting, liking, replying, etc.
The announcement of a forthcoming fee for new users comes shortly after X began a purge of bots on the platform, and after Musk stated that those responsible for bot accounts would face the full force of the law.
Musk's tweet, in response to speculation about charging new accounts an annual fee for posting, liking, bookmarking, and replying, did not specify when the fee would be implemented or its operational details. Musk emphasized that a fee “is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots” on X.
