Social media platform X, previously Twitter, is set to charge users a monthly fee to tackle bots on the social platform.
During a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, X Executive Chairman Elon Musk, who also owns the platform, said that the subscription fee would make it more difficult for bots to create accounts as each bot would need a new credit card to register on the social platform.
He added that the move will keep the authenticity of the platform and maintain connections between the 550 million monthly users who generate 100-200 million posts per day.
Musk, however, did not reveal the cost that the users would pay on a monthly basis.
During the conversation, Musk also revealed plans to introduce a lower tier pricing than the current Ksh1,176 fee it charges subscribers to access its premium Blue service.
Additionally, Musk revealed that his platform is against anything that promotes hate and conflict, but still advocated for free speech.
This is after he received wide backlash following the return of former US President Donald Trump who was suspended from the platform in the aftermath of the Capitol Hill riots in 2021.
The platform has been tackling the challenge of bots in the past with Musk citing bots as a reason for almost backing out of buying the social platform before he went on to complete the deal.
After purchasing the platform at Ksh6.4 trillion (44 billion US dollars), Musk has since introduced a raft of changes.
The changes include a new feature that will enable audio and video calls among users and their contacts through the platform.
According to Musk, the new video and audio call functionality will be universally accessible to all X users.
"Video and audio calls coming to X: - Works on iOS, Android, Mac & PC - No phone number needed - X is the effective global address book. That set of factors is unique," Musk said in the statement.
