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X — Elon Musk — Twitter — Social Media

X Introduces Phone, Payment, and ID Verification to Combat Bots, Along with a New Annual $1 Fee

Elon Musk's social network, X, is introducing a $1 annual fee, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. They're launching an all-out war against bots using a blend of payment, phone, ID verifications, and more!

,   and  Muhammad Babar Saleem
2 min read
Elon Musk's X Fights Bots: The $1 Annual Fee & Beyond!

In the buzzing world of social networks, X, previously known as Twitter, is taking a bold step. Elon Musk, the game-changing entrepreneur behind X, is shaking things up. While the initial news of a $1 annual fee has caused a stir, the platform's actual strategy is far more intricate. X's Director of Engineering, Eric Farraro, recently clarified that this fee is just a fragment of a broader approach against bots.

AI, within a few years, will be able to flawlessly imitate human interactions. So, how can platforms like X counteract this? Farraro posed this question while shedding light on the nuances of the platform's plan.

Matt Mullenweg, WordPress's founder, believes that the nominal fee might not deter persistent spammers. After all, they spend significantly more on acquiring domains for spamming purposes. Farraro doesn’t completely disagree but emphasizes that increasing the cost, even by $1, can make the spamming process pricey. Beyond this fee, X’s holistic plan includes payment, phone, and ID verification, alongside existing heuristic methods to detect bots.

In a recent chat with the Israeli Prime Minister, Musk emphasized the importance of this strategy. Bots might be cheap, but repeated payments for each bot creation will make them expensive.

However, this new strategy arrives amidst challenges. Since Musk's takeover, X has seen a shift in user behavior, with some drifting to competitors like Spill, Bluesky, and Pebble. Additionally, introducing a fee could potentially widen the digital divide. Critics argue that the cost, though seeming minimal, could alienate genuine users from different economic backgrounds.

Musk's approach, while ambitious, isn't groundbreaking. Remember WhatsApp's $1 annual fee before 2016? Yet, as X’s strategy is still in its testing phase, the permanence of the fee remains uncertain.

But one thing is clear: Under Musk's leadership, X is not just adapting—it's evolving, aiming to ensure authentic engagement on the platform. Only time will tell how effective this multi-faceted approach will be against the looming bot menace.

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