X – the platform previously known to the world as Twitter – will soon charge you $1 each year to prove you're a human. Otherwise, your account will be treated as a bot and you won't be able to post anything. In human terms, X will put your account on read-only mode if you don't cough up that fee.
The latest test is called "Not a Bot" and it is currently limited to new accounts created in the Philippines and New Zealand. To be able to post, like, bookmark, and repost any content, you first need to verify your phone number and pay the humanity charge.
X says the cost will be adjusted accordingly for each country when the program expands to other regions. By the way, X owner Elon Musk – who also runs a pretty darn racist car company – spent $44 billion to buy X, but the company's value has reportedly plunged to just $4 billion. Here's the justification for charging users:
"This new program aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users.
That reason is either a steaming pile of hellish dog shit, or, just Musk's indirect admission that he screwed up by diluting safety measures to cut costs and allowing bots to run wild. By the way, here are some headlines after the billionaire human-population-crisis-fetishizer took over the platform:
New Research Illuminates Escalating Online Violence on Musk’s Twitter
How Musk’s Twitter is Jeopardizing War Crimes Investigations
Musk’s X is the biggest purveyor of disinformation, EU official says
Illegal, violent terrorist content relating to Hamas-Israel conflict reaches millions on X
Bots on X worse than ever according to analysis of 1m tweets during first Republican primary debate
Hateful and Abusive Speech Towards LGBTQ+ Community Surging on Twitter Under Elon Musk
Australia Fines X for Not Providing Information on Child Abuse Content