Users may need to pay to use X, formerly Twitter, as Elon Musk mulls move to cut down on bots

Elon Musk is considering introducing a paywall to online platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in his bid to ‘cut down on bots’. This means, all users may soon have to pay a monthly fee, in what has been described as another controversial change by the tech tycoon to the site since taking over ownership in October last year. 

During a talk with Musk on Monday (September 18), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the question of online anti-Semitism and how X could “prevent the use of bots – armies of bots – to replicate and amplify it”, Al Jazeera reported. 

Bots, or accounts controlled by computer programmes rather than humans, are widespread on X and can be used to artificially increase political messages or racial hatred. 

Musk replied that the company was “moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system”.

He said: “It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots. Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny – call it a tenth of a penny – but if somebody even has to pay a few dollars, some minor amount, the effective cost of bots is very high.

“And then you also have to get a new payment method every time you have a new bot.”

Since taking over the company, Musk has sacked thousands of staff, implemented a paid premium option called ‘Twitter Blue’ - now called X Premium -, reduced content control and reinstated previously banned users including former US President Donald Trump’s and controversial rapper Kanye West’s. 

X Premium costs £11 a month in the UK and $8 in the US but charges depend on which country the user is in.