Headlines:

• Elon Musk has suggested in his talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that X could soon be a paid platform rather than a free one.
• Users might soon see a monthly subscription service for using X.
• Elon Musk has stressed the fact that such a payment system will be implemented specifically to tackle the rise of bot accounts.

If you think “freedom of expression and speech” will truly be free, as per what Elon Musk said previously after acquiring X, you are wrong. Freedom now might come at a price, it seems.

In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon recently revealed that he plans to make X (Twitter) a paid social media platform. He has said, “We’re moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the system.”

Elon has stressed the fact that he wishes to do so in order to counter the rising menace that bot accounts present to the platform and its users. The main reason why bot accounts run rampant in X is that there are no barriers to entry. You can create hundreds of fake accounts with hundreds of different email IDs if you want to.

Elon Musk may flip the switch to make X — the social network formerly known as Twitter — an entirely subscription-based platform. https://t.co/QNTQbuSyFa

— Variety (@Variety) September 18, 2023

By making X a paid platform where all users have to pay to use it, it would lessen the chance that people would create bot accounts since they now have to pay for all of them. Now that’s a significant investment for something like a bot account, right? 

Elon thinks the same because this is what he said – “A bot costs a fraction of a penny to make. But if somebody even has to pay a few dollars or something, some minor amount, the effective cost to bots is very high.“

Elon has already implemented paid features on X ever since he took over. Called X Premium, premium users have the ability to post longer Xs (Tweets), see more posts on their feed, and even have increased visibility on the platform. 

Aside from this, Elon has made it clear to the Israeli PM that he stands against antisemitism. Elon said, “I hope you find within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to stop not only antisemitism… but any collective hatred of people that antisemitism represents.”

After hearing this, Mr. Netanyahu had only one thing to say – “I know you’re committed to that.”

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