afaqs! news bureau
Digital

Elon Musk plans to implement fee for new X users to enable posting

Musk clarified that new accounts would gain the ability to post without charge three months after their creation.

Elon Musk plans to implement a nominal fee for new users of X (formerly known as Twitter) to enable posting on the social network and microblogging platform.

He expressed that this fee might help mitigate the issue of bots. Responding to a recent post about the website's alterations, Musk emphasised that charging a small fee for new accounts was the "sole solution" to combat the "onslaught of bots."

He further stated, "Current AI (and troll farms) can pass “are you a bot” with ease."

Musk responded to another user, stating that new accounts would gain the ability to perform writing actions for free after three months from their creation. However, specifics regarding the fee for new users on the X platform are yet to be disclosed by Musk.

In October 2023, the platform charged $1 per year from new unverified users in New Zealand and the Philippines. These new free users were limited to reading posts without the ability to interact with them. To engage in actions such as posting, reposting, or replying, new users had to pay a fee. Musk might implement a similar fee structure for other regions.

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com