Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has announced "Not A Bot," a subscription program for new users that aims to combat spam and bots. This requires new accounts to pay PHP 42.51 annually. Check out more details below.
According to the platform's document page [https://help.twitter.com/en/using-x/not-a-bot], on October 17, 2023, X started testing its new subscription method, "Not A Bot," for new users in two countries, the Philippines and New Zealand.
X said that the Not A Bot program was developed to "combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount."
Moreover, X noted that within this test, existing unverified users are not affected.
The microblogging site detailed how this new test will work for new X accounts on the web version in the Philippines and New Zealand. Check out below.
Step 1: Phone Verification
- New accounts created on X (in the two initial countries) will first be required to verify their mobile number.
Step 2: Select Your Subscription Plan
- USD 1 Annual Fee (Philippines: PHP 42.51 per year / New Zealand: NZD 1.43 per year)
- Enables new users to perform certain actions on the web version of X: post content, Like posts, Reply, Repost and Quote other accounts' posts, and Bookmark posts.
- X Premium
- This costs PHP 440 monthly in the Philippines and will give the users a blue check mark.
- Verified Organization
- This gives businesses, non-profits, and government institutions a gold check mark.
New X users who choose not to subscribe to any of the aforementioned subscription plans will only have "read-only" access, which are as follows:
- Read posts
- Watch videos
- Follow accounts
Lastly, X cited that "this new program aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users," and they "look forward to sharing more about the results soon."