Elon Musk announced on Monday that all X users will soon be required to make a “small monthly payment” in order to continue using the social media site. Musk’s shockingly casual announcement came during a livestream conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which Musk addressed his effort to eliminate bot accounts on the app formerly known as Twitter.
The meeting between Musk and Netanyahu addressed issues related to artificial intelligence and online censorship, but primarily focused on antisemitism and hate speech, which has reportedly been on the rise since Musk took over the company last year. Musk was notably involved in an online dispute with the Anti-Defamation League, a far-left Jewish civil rights organization that accused him of “amplifying” Nazis and White supremacists. Musk responded to these allegations by threatening a lawsuit against the ADL for their role in costing X 60% of its advertiser revenue.
To clear our platform’s name on the matter of anti-Semitism, it looks like we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League … oh the irony!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023
Musk and other members of X leadership have since issued statements condemning antisemitism, and Musk’s sit-down with Netanyahu was seen as a gesture of goodwill in that regard.
When the subject of the conversation turned to hate speech and antisemitism online, Musk laid much of the blame on anonymous bot accounts rather than real users, revealing his plan to begin charging subscription fees for all Twitter users in the process.
“The single most important reason we’re moving to have a small monthly payment for use of the X system is it’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” Musk said. “It’s a longer discussion, but in my view, this is the only defense against vast armies of bots, because as AI gets very, very good, it’s actually able to pass these sort of CAPTCHA tests better than humans.” He further added that charging users a small fee would thwart bot accounts by forcing each one to register with a new credit card.
While he did not specify an amount for the new fee, he indicated that it would cost less than the $11 payment for verified premium accounts. “We’re wanting it to be just a small amount of money,” he said.
Discussion with PM @Netanyahu https://t.co/9rySOeZt2O
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2023
The new payment plan comes amid X’s efforts to regain the trust of advertisers, many of whom abandoned the platform following Musk’s takeover citing concerns about his free speech policies.
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