X formerly known as Twitter has announced its move to start a new programme that will mandate unverified, new users, to sign up for a $1 subscription fee before they can use the key features of the app – tweeting, replying, and retweeting.
Elon Musk’s social networking site, X, said the program is now being tested in two countries – New Zealand and the Philippines – in preparation for its global roll-out.
+According to X, new users who do not subscribe during signup will only be able to read posts, watch videos, and follow accounts, which they referred to as “read-only” accounts.
The subscription options that new users can select from are; $1 fee, X Premium, or Verified Organizations.
In contrast to what some might see as strong moves to turn its $44 billion acquisition into a profit-making company, X said the new program was developed to bolster already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of the platform and bot activity while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount.
The company further stated that so far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale. It also highlighted that existing users are not affected.