Elon Musk says he will charge everyone to use Twitter to 'combat vast armies of bots'

19 September 2023, 11:56

By Jasmine Moody

Elon Musk has suggested he would add a paywall to Twitter in a bid to crack down on bots and spam.

The CEO of the company, which was recently rebranded to X, said he may start charging users.

Mr Musk made the suggestion at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in California.

He told Mr Netanyahu: "The single most important reason that we’re moving to having 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."

Mr Musk said charging users would discourage the creation of inauthentic accounts, which are known for posting misinformation and spam.

Mr Musk did not say that he would definitely start changing users, and did not specify a certain fee.

Mr Musk also spoke to the Iranian Prime Minister about anti-semitism, artificial intelligence and politics at his Tesla factory in Fremont.

Read more: Netanyahu visits Elon Musk in California to discuss artificial intelligence

Read more: Elon Musk denies sabotaging Ukrainian attack on Russian fleet ‘by turning off Starlink’

The Tesla CEO has come into many controversies regarding X before.

Back in April, Mr Musk removed the blue tick from most verified X accounts, requiring users to pay to keep verified.

However, he quickly returned them to many prominent figures, including Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber and Piers Morgan.

Users can now pay £11 a month, or £143.99 a year for the blue tick in a subscription called Twitter Blue.

David Ives, a managing director at research firm Wedbush Securities told the San Francisco Chronicle that the social media app would keep a free option.

'We view X will remain a free platform for users despite Musk’s comments but more tiered charging will come down the road as Musk and (CEO Linda Yaccarino) look to monetise the opportunity.

"User growth looks strong but it’s all about building the super app for X over the coming years.

"Bots remain an issue for X that Musk and team are battling on a daily basis."

Musk has come under fire in recent weeks after a claim that he switched off his Starlink satellite network to hinder a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian warships

A new biography claims that ordered his engineers to turn off service in the area of the attack because he was worried Putin might retaliate with a nuclear response.

The exact date of the shutdown is unclear, but CNN reports he made the decision to turn it off after speaking to Russian officials who indicated the possibility of a nuclear response.

Ukraine’s drones were rendered inoperable as a result and they washed harmlessly ashore.

But Mr Musk denied the claims, writing online: “The Starlink regions in question were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything.

“Both sides should agree to a truce. Every day that passes, more Ukrainian and Russian youth die to gain and lose small pieces of land, with borders barely changing. This is not worth their lives.”

Musk added: “Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes.”