Elon Musk tested a $1 signup fee for new X users in New Zealand, the Philippines.
X, formerly known as Twitter, is testing a subscription model where new users can either become a verified corporate account, opt into an X Premium subscription, or pay a $1 annual fee to prove they're not a bot. The trial, which began on October 17, is currently only available to new users in New Zealand and the Philippines.
The experiment, according to a post on X's help center, is called “Not A Bot.” As the name suggests, the aim is to prevent bot activity on the app by requiring all users (included in the trial) to verify their phone number and payment method.
In the help center post:
Starting October 17, 2023, we have started testing a new subscription method called ‘Not A Bot' for new users in two countries. This new test is designed to reduce spam, improve platform usability and bot activity.
The post goes on to say that “new users” who pay a $1 subscription fee can perform certain actions on the web version of the forum: post content, such as posts, reply, repost and cite other accounts' posts, make bookmarks. posts”
Those who don't pay and unsubscribe “can only take ‘read-only' actions such as: read posts, watch videos and follow accounts.”
Right, read for free, but $1/year to write. It's the only way to fight bots without restricting real users.
This won't stop bots completely, but it will make it 1000X harder to control the platform.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 18, 2023
It is currently unclear how exactly X intends to determine the effectiveness of the “Not A Bot” test. Cointelegraph's request for comment from the company elicited a quick response: “It's working now, please check back later.”
Previous studies on the nature of social media “bots” have shown that the term is negligent. According to one study, it's not always clear that accounts that generate bot-like behavior are actually bots.
In addition, there is a consideration that bots and their behavior can be extremely sophisticated in relation to the large language model-based revolution that is taking place in artificial intelligence chatbot technology that conflicts with users.
Related: Anthroponic builds a democratic AI chatbot by letting users vote for its values.
According to X, the subscription not only makes it difficult to automate the registration process, but also cuts bots out of the labor force by financially restraining the organizations and individuals responsible for deploying them.
The reaction in the crypto and financial communities – where spam bots remain an ongoing problem – has ranged from full acceptance of the payment-to-interaction model to rejection of the premise.
$0.08 per month is very affordable for any bot cheat.
Anyone who complains about this simply wants bot scams to spread.
— Colin TCrypto (@ColinTCrypto) October 18, 2023
Responding to a user who shared the news from a popular account that the move was worth less than $0.10 per month, he said, “Anyone who complains about this simply wants bot scams to spread.” Another commented, “It had a short run that represented the end of X.”
