X, formerly known as Twitter, is testing its “Not A Bot” program in New Zealand and the Philippines that will charge new, unverified users $1 each year for some of the platform’s base features including posts, replies, reposts and likes—marking the platform’s latest subscription push since Elon Musk purchased the company last year.
Elon Musk bought Twitter, now known as X, almost one year ago. (Photo by Emin Sansar/Anadolu Agency ... [+]
New users will have to create an account through the $1 program, X Premium or through the verified organization plan to join and use the standard features.
New users who opt out of the program will be limited to reading posts, watching videos and following accounts as opposed to interacting through reposts, replies and other features.
X considers the new initiative a beta program that it can “modify, pause, or discontinue” at any time with no refund to participating users, according to the terms and conditions.
“This new program aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users,” the platform said in a blog post. “We look forward to sharing more about the results soon.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.