X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, has started to offer an anti-bot subscription model to any new accounts created in the Philippines and New Zealand supposedly in an effort to counter bots and spam behavior.
New users who sign up for X’s “Not A Bot” subscription, which was announced and went live on October, will be charged an annual fee of Php 42.51 in the Philippines and $1.43 NZD (Php 47.89) in New Zealand. They will also be required to verify their phone number. While the new subscription plan will only be available for accounts created using X’s web version, the terms and conditions mention payments through devices using Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems.
Accounts that do not subscribe will be restricted to performing what Twitter described as “read only” actions such as reading posts, watching videos, and following other accounts. Meanwhile, those who do opt in to the new model will be able to post content, like and bookmark posts, as well as repost and quote other accounts’ posts on X’s web version. New users can also get full access to the platform by subscribing to X Premium, the monthly service that provides a blue check mark, or by becoming a Verified Organization.
X said that existing users will not be affected by the anti-bot subscription. X claims that the subscription model “aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users.” In addition, it will supposedly “evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount.”
X owner Elon Musk claimed following the announcement of Not A Bot that the initiative “won’t stop bots completely, but it will be [1000 times] harder to manipulate the platform.”
“It’s the only way to fight bots without blocking real users,” Musk, who also owns Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company, said.
X did not reveal why it rolled out the new subscription model only in the Philippines and New Zealand, but the decision could imply that the company believes these two countries have a more severe bot issue than others. The Philippines is notorious for its networks of troll farms, some of which were reportedly used to spread disinformation and manipulate political discourse in the nation.
