Elon Musk, the owner of social network X, has indicated he is considering charging all users for access to the platform formerly known as Twitter. He said putting up a paywall would ward off automated accounts, or bots.
Musk made the comment during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in the US to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
Musk said charging every account user could be the only way to combat the operators of bots. These autonomous programs are believed to contribute to the spread of misinformation and discriminatory messages.
A prominent Jewish organization has accused Musk of failing to stop the spread of anti-Semitic messages on the platform.
Musk claimed that advertising revenue at X has plunged because the Jewish organization falsely accused the platform and him of being anti-Semitic.
It's unknown how much Musk plans to charge for the currently free service. Users of the platform's premium service pay eight dollars a month.
It is uncertain whether Musk will go ahead with the change. Observers say the company may be able to better control posts on the platform by charging fees, but that it may also lead to a decline in the number of users.