Elon Musk’s social media platform X has announced plans to charge new users in two nations as part of a “Not a Bot” trial.

Anyone joining the platform in New Zealand or the Phillipines will have to pay $1 -$1.43 NZD or ₱42.51 PHP – a year to prove they are a real person. X says this will let them post content, like posts, repost, quote other users, and bookmark posts.

The charge will only apply to unverified users. The firm said the move is a “potentially powerful” method to cut down on spam and bot accounts on the platform.

It insists the move is not a “profit driver.” Instead, X says it has chosen the “small fee” in order to make the platform accessible to users.

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In a post, X’s support team said: “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. This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver.”

It says new users in both New Zealand and the Philippines will also have to verify their phone number as well as paying the fee. The firm added: “New users who opt out of subscribing will only be able to take “read only” actions, such as: Read posts, Watch videos, and Follow accounts.

“This new program aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users. We look forward to sharing more about the results soon.”

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Billionaire Musk purchased X, then known as Twitter, in 2022. One of his main pledges upon buying the social media site was to clampdown on spam accounts.

He has previously suggested that a monthly fee to use X would combat a “bot army” on the site. He said: “It is a longer discussion but in my view this is actually the only defence the vast armies of bots”.

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