Users may have to start coughing up a dollar a year to use X, formerly Twitter, and its core functions—posting on the platform, liking and retweeting posts, and creating lists of users.
The idea has been reportedly floated by Elon Musk for about as long as he's owned the social media giant. He also brought the idea up again during a conversation with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month as a way to combat bots on the platform. The news was first reported by Fortune.
According to the company’s help center page on its Not a Bot program, X is starting by testing its $1 subscription for new users in New Zealand and the Philippines.
The company will charge new users the local equivalent of $1 in order to perform basic tasks on the web version of the platform including posting content, liking posts, replying, reposting and quoting other posts.
Starting today, we're testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. New, unverified accounts will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post & interact with other posts. Within this test, existing users are not affected.
— Support (@Support) October 17, 2023
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If a user opts out of payment, they will only be able to read posts, watch videos or follow accounts.
The social media giant—which has been roiled by branding woes, advertiser departures and rampant misinformation—has been criticized as of late for its handling of the war in Israel and Gaza.
This is a developing story.