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Musk's X begins charging some new users for basic features

New users in certain countries who decline to pay the fee will have access limited to a “read only” version of the site.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA site X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced that it has begun charging new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to use basic features like posting messages.

X, owned since last year by billionaire Elon Musk, said in a statement that its new subscription method should “bolster” existing efforts to reduce spam and “manipulation of our platform and bot activity.”

Under the trial, new web users in the Philippines and New Zealand will have to pay X around $0.75 and $0.85, respectively, every year, in order to access basic functionality like posting on the site.

Those who decline to pay the nominal fee will only have access to a “read only” version of the platform, limiting them to reading posts, watching videos and following accounts, the company said.

“This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount,” it added.

Existing users in these countries are not affected.

Musk has made a number of controversial changes to the social media firm’s management and product since he acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion.

He recently floated the idea of charging all users a nominal fee to use the site in a bid to tackle fake accounts — drawing sharp criticism from users around the world.

© AFP 2023

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37 Comments
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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Edward O'T.
    Favourite Edward O'T.
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    Nov 30th 2023, 4:08 PM

    Good news for the mines workers.

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Patrick MC Dermott
    Favourite Patrick MC Dermott
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    Nov 30th 2023, 4:40 PM

    I see the guy threatening the Ukrainians in Falcarragh , wore a balaclava, but brought his car along to play rebel music . DOH!

    25
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute sleepy joe
    Favourite sleepy joe
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    Nov 30th 2023, 2:30 PM

    Rip jimmy Corkhill a great man

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute tara tevlin
    Favourite tara tevlin
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    Nov 30th 2023, 3:10 PM

    @sleepy joe: loved him know brooky

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Irish Citizen
    Favourite Irish Citizen
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    Nov 30th 2023, 6:06 PM

    Hopefully jobs can be preserved

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Padraig O'Brien
    Favourite Padraig O'Brien
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    Nov 30th 2023, 5:13 PM

    I’d say he’d be OK, he was probably wearing stolen number plates.

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute aidan martin
    Favourite aidan martin
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:19 PM

    Hopefully with all the same employees on the same wages ???

    5
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