Elon Musk to start charging new X users to tackle bot problem; know all details here

Elon Musk has announced a new initiative to tackle the persistent problem of bots on X, the social network he acquired as Twitter in 2022. Musk suggests that charging new users a small fee to post could effectively prevent bot accounts from overrunning the platform. He highlighted the ineffectiveness of traditional CAPTCHA tools against sophisticated AI and troll farms, emphasizing the need for this new measure.

Elon Musk also pointed out that bots often take up valuable usernames, limiting options for genuine users. However, he proposed a compromise where new accounts could post without fees after three months, potentially easing concerns for users unwilling to pay immediately.

Unfortunately, a small fee for new user write access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots.

Current AI (and troll farms) can pass “are you a bot” with ease.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 15, 2024

He further said, "The onslaught of fake accounts also uses up the available namespace, so many good handles are taken as a result."

That is way harder than paying a tiny fee.

This is only for new users. They will be able to do write actions for free after 3 months.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 15, 2024

Musk's plan to fight bots

Small Fee for Posting: Musk believes a nominal fee for new users to post is essential to control the bot issue. He claims that the conventional methods such as CAPTCHA don't help in weeding out all bots.

Initial Non-Payment Period: The new users will be able to create an account on X but they won't be able to engage without fees. However, after a three-month waiting period they will be able to post as well. 

Broader Anti-Bot Strategies: Alongside this fee, X has been actively deleting spam accounts, impacting follower counts across the platform.

Previous Implementations: Similar fees have been tested in New Zealand and the Philippines, where new unverified users paid $1 per year to interact on the platform.

As this policy is still in the planning stages, specifics regarding the fee amount and the exact implementation date remain unclear.