This is not a feature, though, especially not a new one. This is just asking for payment for the software to not do something to your machine. This kind of behaviour so far was only present in ransomware.

All the code required for this to work was already there. They only spent developer time changing it to only be available to Pro users.

You can rationalise this all you want, but this is just hostile, desperate and lazy behaviour from a company that's too desperate to make money, but is has continuously proven to be unable to come up with better ideas for attracting paid users. As others have mentioned, they got millions in funding so far but still have no idea how to make money.

Had it been announced a month earlier people would be sure it was an April Fool's joke.