After Elon Musk suggested last month that X, formerly Twitter, could start charging all users, the company announced a test of this system.
Platform X announced in a post on Tuesday that it is testing a new program called “Not a Bot,” in which new users in New Zealand and the Philippines will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription. to post and interact with other posts.
The test will only apply to new web accounts, and the fee will be waived if users sign up for X’s $3.99 per month premium subscription service.
New users in the test region who opt out of premium and annual subscription will only be able to read posts, watch videos and follow accounts — but will not be able to interact on the platform. Existing users will not be affected as part of the test.
See also: Social network “X”, formerly Twitter, removes hundreds of accounts linked to Hamas
The company said in the post that the program aims to “reinforce our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount,” adding that the fee is not intended to be a profit generator.
The test comes after Musk encouraged users to sign up for X Premium as a way to reduce spam and fraudulent activity on the platform, suggesting that requiring credit card payments helps verify a user’s identity and creates a higher barrier to account entry not authentic.
As an added incentive, premium users receive a blue checkmark (a badge), have their posts boosted by the platform’s algorithm, and are eligible to receive payments as part of X’s new ad revenue sharing program.
This also comes after Musk made a vague statement in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month suggesting he might start charging all users.
He said the company is “moving to a small monthly payment for using System X” because it is “the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots.”
Experts, however, said that many bad actors are more than willing and able to pay for inauthentic accounts on the platform. In theory, a person could also pay to verify an account and then allow a computer to run it, effectively creating an automated verified account (or “bot”).
The platform was criticized last week for false and misleading claims that were widely shared online related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
The European Commission last week formally opened an investigation into X, following an earlier warning about misinformation and illegal content on its platform linked to the conflict.
X says it has removed “hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts,” taken down thousands of posts since Hamas’ attack on Israel, and ramped up Community Notes, its program that allows users to check out other users’ posts.
“X is addressing false and manipulated content identified during this ever-evolving and changing crisis,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a letter to European Union Commissioner Thiery Breton last week.
Source: CNN Brasil

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