X (formerly Twitter) is currently conducting a trial in New Zealand and the Philippines, where new users are required to choose between several options for account verification. This trial, named "Not A Bot," aims to enhance the platform's efforts to combat spam, platform manipulation, and robotic activity. To verify their authenticity, new users must register a phone number and payment method. They can then select from the following options: becoming a verified business account, enrolling in an X premium subscription, or paying a $1 annual fee to prove they are not a bot.
The subscription model, priced at $1. provides users with several privileges on the web version of the platform, including the ability to post content, like posts, reply, retweet, quote posts from other accounts, and bookmark posts. Those who choose not to subscribe will be limited to "read-only" actions, which include reading posts, watching videos, and following accounts. The trial's specifics, including how X plans to validate users' choices, remain unclear.
The motivation behind this experiment is to address concerns related to bot activity on the platform. In the cryptocurrency and financial communities, where spam bots are a persistent problem, reactions to the trial have varied. Some see it as a positive step in curbing malicious activities, while others express concerns that it could undermine the essence of X. The latter group argues that the annual fee is very low and that the trial could either be a successful deterrent or prove ineffective, depending on the extent to which malicious actors are willing to pay the fee.
