New NZ Twitter users to be charged annual fee in order to post

October 18, 2023
X logo with Elon's account in the background.

Kiwis signing up for an account on Twitter, now officially known as X, will now have to pay $1.43 a year in order to like and post, according to the social media platform.

The "test" will only apply to users signing up from New Zealand and the Philippines.

It comes after owner Elon Musk suggested he would begin charging fees to use the platform last month. The latest move comes after a chaotic year for the social media platform after Musk bought the website in October 2022.

In a tweet, the website's support account wrote today: "Starting today, we're testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines.

"New, unverified accounts will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post and interact with other posts.

"Within this test, existing users are not affected.

"This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver.

"And so far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale."

The fee would amount to $1.43 per year in New Zealand dollars, according to X.

According to an X support article, users who sign up from today and don't pay the fee will be unable to post tweets, reply to tweets, like tweets, retweet, or bookmark posts.

"New users who opt out of subscribing will only be able to take 'read only' actions, such as: Read posts, Watch videos, and Follow account," X wrote.

"This new program aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users.

"We look forward to sharing more about the results soon."

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