X begins testing paid user registration

The social network X has begun testing paid account creation for $1 for residents of New Zealand and the Philippines.

NEWS: X will require new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay $1 to create accounts! pic.twitter.com/lufk2qpO7n

— X News Daily (@xDaily) October 18, 2023

According to the owner of the social network, Elon Musk, the move is intended to fight bots. Users will still be able to create read-only accounts for free.

Correct, read for free, but $1/year to write. It’s the only way to fight bots without blocking real users.

This won’t stop bots completely, but it will be 1000X harder to manipulate the platform.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 18, 2023

“Yes, reading is free, but writing is $1 per year. This is the only way to fight bots without blocking real users. It won’t stop fakes completely, but manipulating the platform will be 1,000 times harder,” the billionaire clarified.

The new signup process is largely the same as before. After entering your details and confirming your phone, you must choose a subscription plan.

The initiative has drawn criticism on social media. Some users say paid posts on X hinder audience growth.

I am a verified user and against bots.

But isn’t this a friction for the process for people to join? As someone from a developing country, many won’t have a bank account, and if you’re young and let’s say 15 and want to micro blog and comment on this, this is a barrier

How to…

— High IQ Posts (@HighIQPosts) October 18, 2023

“I am a verified user and against bots. But isn’t this a barrier to joining for people? As someone from a developing country, I would say many don’t have a bank account. If you’re young, say 15, and want to microblog and comment, this is a problem. How can X be for everyone?”, a user asked.

In late September, Musk already proposed to charge a “small fee” for using X in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the head of the social network, the platform has 550 million monthly users, who generate 100 to 200 million posts daily.

Earlier, Musk’s previous initiative to rid X of bots through a paid $8-per-month subscription did not yield significant results. A dappGambl study showed that about 10% of followers of popular cryptocurrency-themed accounts remain fake.