Elon Musk says Twitter is purging inactive accounts

Madhu Balaji Updated - May 09, 2023 at 10:52 AM.

Elon Musk clarified that Twitter would archive such accounts

Twitter CEO Elon Musk | Photo Credit: Dado Ruvic

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has revealed that the microblogging platform will remove inactive accounts, saying that the action is “important to free up abandoned handles.”

Elon Musk clarified to a Twitter user that the platform would archive such accounts. He added that the move would result in a drop in the followers’ count.

According to the platform’s policy, Twitter users should sign in to their accounts at least once in thirty days to retain them.

In a follow-up tweet, Musk responded to a question about username availability that a lot of usernames were about to become available as a result of this move.

Musk faced criticism from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey for the former’s leadership of the company. 

The platform recently announced making its API access at zero charges for accounts posting public announcements, including weather alerts, transportation information, and emergency warnings.

Twitter has been in the headlines by removing the legacy verified blue tick from the profile of celebrities, journalists, and politicians. Meanwhile, a few Twitter users regained their blue checkmarks when they updated their bio.

Earlier this month, Musk “threatened” to reassign National Public Radio’s Twitter account to another company. The company recently confirmed that a security incident exposed private tweets sent to Twitter Circles to the public. 

TechCrunch reported that Twitter, in recent times, has considered selling desired usernames through online auctions to generate additional revenue. The microblogging platform is now facing increased competition from alternatives such as Mastodon and Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky.

Published on May 9, 2023 05:22

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