X, previously Twitter, will cost new customers in two international locations $1 per yr to put up

(NEXSTAR) — X, the social media platform previously often called Twitter, announced it can start charging sure customers a $1 annual payment to entry primary options as a part of a take a look at to crack down on bots and spammers.

The take a look at, coined “Not A Bot,” rolled out Tuesday in two international locations: New Zealand and the Phillippines. New customers in these areas should subscribe to the plan to put up, like, reply to, quote, or bookmark content material on the internet model of the platform.

Those that choose out of paying will solely have the ability to view posts, watch movies, and observe accounts. 

The corporate said in a blog post that it developed this system “to defend in opposition to bots and spammers who try to govern the platform and disrupt the expertise of different X customers.”

It additionally famous that the take a look at doesn’t apply to current accounts. New Zealand and the Phillippines are the one international locations the place X is conducting the take a look at now. It’s unclear how lengthy the take a look at will final.

X proprietor Elon Musk shared the information on his account, saying the most recent transfer is “the one technique to battle bots with out blocking actual customers.”

“This gained’t cease bots utterly, however it will likely be 1000x more durable to govern the platform,” Musk posted. 

In another post on X, the corporate’s assist crew mentioned the take a look at shouldn’t be a “revenue driver” and that subscription choices “have confirmed to be the primary resolution that works at scale” in combating spam accounts and bot exercise. 

Final yr, the social community launched an non-obligatory subscription plan, now referred to as X Premium, that prices customers $8 a month to entry choose options — together with the once-coveted blue checkmark. It upended the corporate’s earlier verification system, which aimed to stop impersonations of celebrities, politicians, and different high-profile accounts.

The Related Press contributed to this story.