X, the former Twitter, may charge future users $1 per year.
The company is currently testing this new subscription formula in New Zealand and the Philippines. The company itself announced this in a blog post.
New users of the platform may in the future have to pay a dollar for basic functions such as posting or reposting messages and replying and unlock likes. Only reading messages, watching videos or following accounts on X would remain free in the future. Those who do not pay will therefore be excluded from interacting on the platform. Existing users will not be affected by the introduction of the new formula.
The subscription has been named ‘Not A Bot’. According to Elon Musk, owner of X, the formula is necessary to keep fake accounts away from the platform. “This is the only way to combat bots without blocking real users,” Musk said on X after announcing the test. In that announcement, the company also stated that “profit is not the driving force.”
The subscription formula is currently being tested in New Zealand and the Philippines. X says he will share more about the results of the experiment soon.