• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, November 27, 2019

In an effort to unclutter its platform, Twitter plans to begin deactivating accounts that have remained dormant for at least six months. The move is part of an effort to “present more accurate, credible information,” the company stated this week.

Twitter’s inactive accounts policy is not new, but the company hasn’t done much to enforce it until now.

The effort will likely give users -- including marketers -- the opportunity to grab handles that were previously accounted for.

Expected to begin December 11, the cleanup is also likely to impact account metrics, including follower counts and broader user numbers. Twitter is hoping the initiative will inspire users to increase their engagement on its platform.

“Part of this effort is encouraging people to actively log in and use Twitter when they register an account,” according to the company.

To do so, Twitter has already started reaching out to users who have not logged into their accounts in over six months, letting them know their accounts may be permanently removed, due to prolonged inactivity.

In response to the impending purge, some critics are concerned the move will erase the legacies of deceased Twitter users.

“Just because someone’s pulse no longer beats doesn’t mean their thoughts no longer matter,” Drew Olanoff, vice president, communications at Scaleworks, writes in TechCrunch.  

Due to a combination of ad product issues and industry headwinds, Twitter recently reported less-than-stellar third-quarter earnings.

“More work remains to deliver improved revenue products,” Ned Segal, Twitter’s CFO acknowledged at the time.

However, the company reported quarterly revenue of $824 million, up nearly 10% year-over-year, along with a 17% increase in monetizable daily active users (mDAUs).