X Tests $1 Fee for New Users to Fight Bots

X is testing a $1 annual fee for new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to prove they are not bots.

The fee will allow new users to post content, like, reply, repost, etc. Users who don't pay can only read.

The goal is to make it much harder and expensive for bots to manipulate the platform.

It's unclear how X will determine if the fee is effective against bots.

Reactions range from acceptance of the pay-to-interact model to rejection as the end of X.