Musk to charge new X users to post, but some say it won’t stop the bots

by

Elon Musk, a wealthy tech businessman and founder of X, the microblogging site, aims to solve its persistent spam issue by introducing fees for new users to tweet. However, some remain skeptical that this move will effectively stop the influx of crypto-scam bot activity.

Elon Musk, proprietor of X, expressed regretfully on April 15 that the implementation of a modest charge for new users seeking write access is essential to stave off the incessant influx of bots, as reported by ‘X Daily News’ in relation to their ongoing spam reduction trial.

The statement revealed that X could start charging new members for accessing fundamental features like publishing, responding, favoriting, or saving posts.

Musk stated that current artificial intelligence and troll farms find it simple to circumvent tools like CAPTCHA.

Since finalizing Twitter’s purchase for $44 billion in October 2022, Musk has been waging a war against automated accounts, or bots.

He mentioned that the proliferation of false accounts not only misappropriates the platform, but also claims desirable usernames.

In October, New Zealand and the Philippines tested a policy similar to what we have, where new users were asked to pay a small fee of $1 to subscribe as “Not A Bot” and gain access to extra features.

Musk stated that while this measure wouldn’t entirely prevent bots, it would significantly increase the difficulty for manipulating the platform by a thousandfold.

Many however argue that the new potential charges won’t prevent the onslaught of bots.

Blockchain sleuth ZachXBT was among many who didn’t agree with the method, stating:

“There are hundreds of business verified scam accounts every week which scammers pay thousands of dollars for.”

He shared a screenshot of a questionable Wormhole X account with a verification badge, which was spreading suspicious links for a supposed giveaway.

He stated, “An underground economy thrives around these accounts. Moreover, it poses a threat to our ability to attract new users.”

Roxo from Meta Mint explained that the problem isn’t about newly created accounts, but rather the ineffectiveness of X team members in deleting counterfeit accounts. He further mentioned that most bots and fraudulent accounts were generated several years ago.

Around late March, Musk announced that users with 2,500 or more verified followers would no longer need to pay for “Premium” features on the platform. Yet, providing an opportunity to buy verification status might have attracted fraudsters, according to CryptoMoon’s report.

This month, X took the lead by unveiling a major step to remove accounts breaching our regulations on manipulating the platform and spamming.

Read More

2024-04-16 06:42