Twitter backs down from plan to delete inactive accounts
Twitter has said it will pause plans to disable inactive accounts following user backlash, a day after announcing plans to deactivate accounts which have not been used for more than six months.
The social media giant said that it would not remove accounts until it had a process for “memorialising” dead users on the network.
It admitted not having a policy in place was a “miss on our part”.
We’ve heard your feedback about our effort to delete inactive accounts and want to respond and clarify. Here’s what’s happening:
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 27, 2019
The firm said it was taking action on inactive accounts due to regulatory concerns.
The social media site had announced it would, on December 11, deactivate all accounts that had not signed in at any point during the past six months.
But on Wednesday, Twitter said it was suspending the plan until it could find a good way to memorialise dead people’s Twitter accounts.
Twitter’s policy of removing inactive accounts was initially planned in order to free up usernames.
In many cases, lucrative usernames are held by accounts that have been inactive for years, causing frustration on the part of active users left with unwieldy Twitter brands.