Elon Musk confirmed his intention to charge a temporary fee to let new user X post

A report last year revealed that Elon Musk planned to introduce a new fee for users who just registered on X (formerly Twitter) on the grounds that this would be the only way to make the platform No bots. Now, Musk himself has confirmed his intentions and revealed more details about this potential fee.

X charges new users

In a post on X, Musk told one user that a small fee to allow new accounts to post on the platform is 'the only way to limit the relentless onslaught of bots'. He also argues that AI tools can easily pass the 'are you a robot' test. In another post, the owner of X said users who choose not to pay can still follow other accounts and read articles for free.

Those who don't pay to unlock the posting option will get it for free after a period of 3 months. The code found in the X app confirms the change, as you can see below:

'Sign up to unlock the ability to post and interact. New, unverified users must pay a small annual fee before being able to perform any writing actions on the web, including posting, liking, bookmarking, and replying. This is to reduce bots and spam for a better experience for everyone. You can still follow accounts and browse X for free' .

There's no word on when the system will take effect or how much the fees will be. A previous rumor said that X wanted to charge $1 per year from unverified users.

Since Musk acquired Twitter, he has said he will put an end to bot and spam accounts. This is one of the arguments for allowing users to pay $8/month to get a blue verification badge. However, this does nothing to put an end to bots – in fact, there are many bots that pay for verified badges and impersonate others.

Jessica Tanner

Update 16 April 2024