Twitter Plans to Free Up Usernames by Deleting Inactive Accounts

In an effort to declutter their space and free up usernames that might get some use otherwise, Twitter will begin removing inactive accounts in December. The social media platform sent out an email to users who have not logged in for six months, warning that their account was in danger of being junked. 

The email from Twitter read as follows:

Hello,

To continue using Twitter, you’ll need to agree to the current Terms, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Use. This not only lets you make the best decisions about the information that you share with us, it also allows you to keep using your Twitter account. But first, you need to log in and follow the on-screen prompts before Dec. 11, 2019, otherwise your account will be removed from Twitter.

 Twitter told The Verge that the campaign is a way to encourage conversation.

“As part of our commitment to serve the public conversation, we’re working to clean up inactive accounts to present more accurate, credible information people can trust across Twitter. Part of this effort is encouraging people to actively log-in and use Twitter when they register an account, as stated in our inactive accounts policy,” a spokesperson said. “We have begun proactive outreach to many accounts who have not logged into Twitter in over six months to inform them that their accounts may be permanently removed due to prolonged inactivity.”

They added there won’t be a goldrush for new account names on December 12, saying the removal “will happen over many months — not just on a single day” and clarifying that new accounts with handles of less than 5 letters won’t be allowed. 

The announcement of the changes comes shortly after Twitter revealed users will be able to hide replies from users who might derail a conversation.