New Delhi: , The free access era on microblogging platform X is going to end soon. X owner Elon Musk has announced plans to impose a "small monthly payment" on all the users of its plaform. 


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During a live-streamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Musk hinted at the impending plan to charge users. He said that the move was driven by the need to combat rampant bot activity plaguing the platform.


Musk stated, "It's the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots...Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny -- call it a tenth of a penny -- but even if it has to pay a few dollars or something, the effective cost of bots is very high". 


This strategic move is seen as a plan to deter bot usage by imposing a financial barrier, as even a fraction of a penny can accumulate when multiplied by countless bots. 


However, the ban on free access on X is not new, as Musk had last year too floated it for the first time.


The company currently charges $8 per month from its X Premium users, that gives them an ability to edit posts, see less ads, write longer posts and prioritised rankings in search and conversations.


With IANS Inputs