To reduce abuse and fake engagement, Elon Musk's X is removing access to two important features of the developer API for people with the free plan. Now, free users will no longer be able to use the API to post on their behalf, nor will they follow others.
The company says these changes will help protect X's platform from “spam, bots and manipulation activities” that reduce the user experience.
Developers of paid plans, such as the Basic, Pro, or Enterprise stage, will not be affected. These plans also include access to more features, higher rate limiting, and support for more features.
Restricting access to some of the most common actions in X could help reduce program abuse, but it could also push developers with legitimate businesses and projects that want to continue moving to paid plans.
X made many major changes to the API platform under Musk, initially ending free access with almost developer warnings, then changed minds to support free use. When the new API pricing arrived in spring 2023, it was clear that the company had revenue generation in mind. The bare bones, master plan, doesn't just support those who provide “good bots,” that is, automated accounts that provide useful information such as weather alerts.
Last October, X increased the price of the base tier from $100 a month to $200, adding a higher limit.
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