X to impose fees for new accounts – will Czechia be affected?

Owner of social media platform X Elon Musk has announced he plans to introduce a sign-up fee for new accounts. Musk cited the platform’s fight against bots as the reason for the new charge. In line with previously announced subscription charges, this will likely also affect users in Czechia.

“Unfortunately, a small fee for new user access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots,” Musk wrote on his platform. He said that the new users would need to make the subscription payment for three months before they could post for free and use X’s other features. 

The cost of the subscription – or when it will be introduced – is as of yet unclear. Last October, X launched a trial phase of charging new, unverified users USD 1 (CZK 23) per year in New Zealand and the Philippines for the ability to post new messages and interact with content. The newly announced sign-up fee will likely be similar.

Earlier this month, X announced a significant crackdown on spam accounts, cautioning users that their follower counts could be impacted.

While people can use X for free today, the company currently offers three subscription levels, introduced last year. The Basic subscription, priced at CZK 862 for Czech users annually, includes the ability to hide likes, edit posts, and use two-factor authentication through SMS. 

The second option, named Premium, costs CZK 2,263 per year and blocks half of all advertisements from the website, as well as giving users a blue checkmark. People can also earn revenue from posts that get very high engagement rates.

The Premium+ subscription, available for CZK 4,525, eliminates all advertisements and gives the greatest “reply prioritization” (meaning higher priority in the site’s algorithm).