Musk says X could charge users ‘small monthly payment’ in fight against bots
- Elon Musk has made several changes since taking over the site, which was formerly known as Twitter
- Now he says the firm will move to a ‘small monthly payment’ for the use of X, ‘the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots’
Online platform X could introduce a monthly fee for all users, its owner Elon Musk said on Monday, citing the need to cut down on bots.
The tech tycoon has made multiple changes since taking over the site for US$44 billion in October last year, when it was known as Twitter.
He has fired thousands of employees, introduced a paid premium option, cut content moderation and reinstated formerly banned accounts including that of former US president Donald Trump.
He said in July the platform had lost roughly half its advertising revenue.
Bots – accounts run by computer programmes rather than humans – are common on X, where they can be used to artificially amplify political messages or racial hatred.
During a talk with Musk on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the question of online antisemitism, and how X could “prevent the use of bots – armies of bots – to replicate and amplify it”.