16.04.2024 00:42
'Unfortunately, a small fee for new user write access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots,' says CEO of social media platform.
Elon Musk, CEO of social media platform X, on Monday proposed a small fee for new users to write, reply to, or like posts.
In a post on X, Musk said such a measure would be unavoidable in order to "curb the relentless onslaught of bots" on the website.
"Current AI (and troll farms) can pass are you a bot with ease," he added.
Further elaborating on the growing problem of bots and fake accounts spreading misinformation and spam on X, he said: "The onslaught of fake accounts also uses up the available namespace, so many good handles are taken as a result."
Musk said the inconvenience of paying such a fee would be outweighed by the benefit, saying: "This is only for new users. They will be able to do write actions for free after 3 months."
No information has yet been released on the timeframe for implementing the policy or specific fees that new users may be required to pay.
In October, X initiated a $1 annual charge for new unverified users in New Zealand and the Philippines to post and interact with content in a bid to combat spam and bot activity. -