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X, previously known as Twitter, has implemented a new fee-based method where new users in the Philippines and New Zealand are required to pay approximately $1 annually to access basic features such as posting on the platform. Existing users in these countries are not affected by this change.

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Those who choose not to pay the fee will be restricted to a “read-only” account, allowing them to see content, and follow accounts but not post anything. Musk says that the goal in this move is an effort in reducing spam, manipulation, and bot activity on the platform.

“This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount,” the X support account tweeted. “It is not a profit driver.”

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Musk even suggested charging a nominal fee on all users to tackle these problems, which received mixed reactions from users worldwide. For now, it only applies to the above mentioned areas. It is not clear why those countries were chosen.

Some experts say the plan may backfire. It would be nothing for a spammer to spend $100 for 100 fake accounts to continue the practices Musk is aiming to mitigate. At the same time, new users may be hesitant to pay for the service or provide their credit card information to the platform, resulting in more bots and less actual users.

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