Elon Musk Considers Charging New Users to Combat Bot Invasion on X Platform
Summary:
Tech titan Elon Musk plans to stem bot and spam issues on his social network, X, by possibly charging new users. His suggestion that even basic posts, replies, likes, or bookmarks could carry a fee has drawn mixed reactions. Critics argue that the issue lies more with the platform's inaction towards existing scams and bot accounts, rather than new users. Nonetheless, Musk believes the fee will significantly hinder platform manipulation. The platform is also pursuing a proactive initiative against platform manipulation and spam.
Tech mogul Elon Musk is adopting a new strategy to tackle the persistent issue of spam on his social media platform, X, by considering a paywall for new users. Despite doubts from some quarters, Musk insists this is an effective means of stemming the deluge of bots promoting crypto-scams. Responding to an update by 'X Daily News' about measures to combat spam, Musk suggested the platform may broaden its policy to levy charges for new users performing basic operations such as posts, replies, likes, or post bookmarking. Although tools like CAPTCHA exist to mitigate bot threats, he claimed they are easily circumvented by the latest AI and "troll farms."
Ever since Musk's takeover of Twitter in a $44 billion acquisition completed in October 2022, he has been striving to control the bot issue. He highlighted how spam accounts take up valuable namespace, restricting the availability of desired usernames.
There has been some precedent for the proposed policy; trial runs were performed in New Zealand and the Philippines in October. The 'Not A Bot' subscription scheme for new entrants required a $1 fee to unlock extra functionalities. Musk expressed optimism about the potential policy changes saying, “It won’t entirely eliminate bots but it'll render manipulation of the platform a thousand-fold more difficult."
However, these proposed changes have elicited mixed reactions. Critics like blockchain expert ZachXBT reject the contention that charges will deter bots, citing the proliferation of business-verified scam accounts being set up at high costs by fraudsters. He referred to a dubious verified account as evidence of a thriving black market of similar entities.
Another detractor, "Roxo," from the Meta Mint team, argued that the main problem does not lie with new accounts but rather with the platform's inability to remove established fake accounts, which make up the bulk of bots and scam accounts.
X made additional headlines recently when Musk announced that accounts boasting 2,500 verified followers would receive free "Premium" features. However, this verification-buying option drew criticism for potentially inviting fraudulent activity. The platform has declared that in response to these concerns, it's launching a concerted campaign against accounts flouting rules against platform manipulation and spam.
Published At
4/16/2024 6:39:28 AM
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