The social media platform formerly known as Twitter announced its “Not a Bot” program, saying $1 subscriptions were “the main solution” to bots.

       (Nathan Stirk / Getty Images)

       By Jeremy Childs Staff Writer

       Oct. 18, 2023 5:57 AM PT

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       In an effort to combat bots, Elon Musk’s X says it will begin charging new accounts $1 a year to post, like and otherwise interact with content.

       The social media platform formerly known as Twitter posted an announcement of the “Not a Bot” program Tuesday evening, saying it was being piloted in New Zealand and the Philippines.

       “So far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale,” the statement read.

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       The program will not affect existing users. No information was provided as to when the program would be rolled out to the United States.

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       Since acquiring Twitter, now X, nearly a year ago, Elon Musk’s changes to the platform have helped perpetuate misinformation, mistrust and hate.

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       Twitter already offers paid subscriptions of $8 a month as part of its X Premium program, formerly known as Twitter Blue, which awards accounts with a blue checkmark badge and several additional abilities, such as editing posts and exceeding character limits. Unlike the Premium program, however, “Not a Bot” is not designed to be a profit driver, the company said.

       The idea of charging users a subscription fee on X was first publicly reported about a month ago by Bloomberg columnist Dave Lee, who said Musk had been floating the idea in private.

       New accounts made within the program that do not opt to pay the $1 annual fee will only be able to make “read only” actions, such as viewing posts, watching videos and following accounts.

       The program is the latest major shift for the platform under Musk, which also recently removed headlines from posted article links.