'Not a Bot': X to Start Testing $1 Annual Charge to New Users

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, announced on Tuesday that it will start testing a subscription method that will charge a $1 annual fee to new users. The goal, the company said, is reducing "spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity."

"Not a bot" will initially be applied in New Zealand and the Philippines. Those who don't pay the fee won't be able to post content, like publications, repost or quote other accounts, the platform said. They will be limited to reading posts, watching videos and following accounts.

"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," reads a publication in X's help center.

This subscription plan is different from those offered to "verified organizations" and X Premium, Elon Musk's flagship change to the platform, which charges $8 a month for a blue-check account that provides features such as the ability to write longer posts and appear at the top of another one's replies.

"This new program aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users. We look forward to sharing more about the results soon," concludes the post.

The platform has been introducing several changes lately as it seeks to keep users engaged and recover lost revenue. Earlier this month, links and headlines were eliminated from new posts. Now they display publication's caption, the featured image and the website's link on the bottom left corner.

Musk said the change was coming "directly" from him and that it would "greatly improve estethics." X CEO Linda Yaccarino reiterated in the Code Conference in late September that Musk oversees the company's product and feature development while she deals with business and operational affairs.

According to a Reuters report, monthly U.S. ad revenue at X has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk took over in October 2022. The report, based on data from ad analytics firm Guideline, showed that in December 2022 ad revenue in the country dropped 78% compared to the same month of the previous year. The last available figures are from August this year and show a 60% inter-annual decline.

Musk has repeatedly acknowledged that the platform lost advertisers since his $44 billion takeover, claiming activists with political agendas were pressuring them.