Elon Musk has announced that the dislike button on X will be restricted to subscribers and verified accounts in an effort to curb spam and bot activity.
In a post on the platform, Musk said: “To prevent spam bot attacks, the dislike button will be for subscribers/verified accounts only.”
Musk revives focus on bot crackdown on X
For Elon Musk, the problem of bots has long been a central issue on X. Even before acquiring the platform in 2022, Musk had flagged fake and automated accounts as a major concern, at one point suggesting they could derail the deal. He also accused previous management of underestimating the scale of the issue.
Push for stricter action
Since taking over, Musk has repeatedly emphasized the need to combat the proliferation of bots—accounts programmed to automatically respond to posts and amplify certain narratives.
He has advocated for stronger measures to crack down on “scammy” bots, signaling a tougher approach to cleaning up the platform and improving authenticity in user interactions.
Despite these concerns, the platform already has policies in place to address spam and manipulation. These include bans on fake accounts and coordinated efforts to artificially influence conversations through bots.
Ongoing challenge
The persistence of bot activity highlights the difficulty of fully eliminating automated accounts at scale. While Musk’s renewed push underscores the importance of the issue, balancing enforcement with user experience remains a continuing challenge for the platform.
