Twitter to delete inactive accounts — starting December 11

Twitter has announced that it would be deleting inactive accounts on its platform to free up usernames if their owners don’t log in before December 11.

The American microblogging service disclosed this a notice sent out to users that would be affected, further stating that the deletion comes because users who do not log-in were unable to agree to its updated privacy policies.

Although the firm didn’t disclose how many accounts would be affected by the purge, the number of users that fall in the category is believed to run into millions as the microblogging platform is set to send out more notices before the deadline.

“To continue using Twitter, you will need to agree to the current terms, privacy policy, and cookie use. This not only helps you make the best decision about the information that you share with us. It also allows you to keep using your Twitter account,” the notice read.

“First, you need to log in and follow the on-screen prompts before December 11, 2019, otherwise your account will be removed from Twitter. Need help logging in? Visit our help center. Want to create a new account? Get started. Thanks, from Twitter.”

According to reports, the deletion would not affect Twitter’s user numbers since the firm bases its usage level only on users who log-in at least once a day — with the platform reporting an estimated 145 million monetizable daily active users.

“As part of our commitment to serving the public conversation, we’re working to clean up inactive accounts to present more accurate, credible information people can trust across Twitter,” a spokesperson of the firm said.

“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.”

The development will be the first time Twitter will be removing inactive accounts on such a large scale.

Meanwhile, the microblogging platform’s current policy offers only deactivation of a dead person’s account once a trusted third-party – a parent, for example – has proven their identity.