Twitter to purge inactive accounts, warns users that they may lose followers

AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File

Twitter chief Elon Musk announced on Monday that the social media platform will remove accounts that have been inactive for several years, potentially causing a decrease in follower counts for users.

We’re purging accounts that have had no activity at all for several years, so you will probably see follower count drop

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 8, 2023

In a tweet, Musk explained that users of the micro-blogging platform should log in to their accounts at least once every 30 days to avoid permanent removal due to extended inactivity, as per Twitter's policy.

This announcement comes after Musk "threatened" to reassign National Public Radio's Twitter account to another company earlier this month. The public broadcaster had halted posting content to its 52 official Twitter feeds in protest against a Twitter label that suggested government involvement in its editorial content.

Last month, Twitter removed the legacy verified blue tick from the profiles of thousands of individuals, including celebrities, journalists, and prominent politicians. In an effort to address the issue of bot accounts on the platform, Musk has made account verification a part of Twitter's Blue subscription.