Twitter to free up inactive handles, and this will definitely get ugly

Twitter is about to get even messier.

The notoriously scam-ridden company intends to ramp up its efforts to remove inactive accounts from the platform, setting up a situation where inactive handles can be claimed by new users. This, despite your totally original idea to finally register that account you've always dreamed of having, could turn out to be a very bad thing.

But first, let's talk basic details. News of Twitter's plan, reported by the Verge, was confirmed to Mashable by company spokesperson Lindsay McCallum.

"As part of our commitment to serve the public conversation," wrote McCallum over email, "we’re working to clean up inactive accounts to present more accurate, credible information people can trust across Twitter."

Once the inactive accounts have been deleted, McCallum wrote that "the username is up for grabs."

Or, in other words, expect a fresh wave of scams to soon sweep the service.

Imagine a scenario where bad actors claim so-called cleaned up handles that once belonged to businesses, real individuals, or government agencies. Those accounts could then be used to perpetrate fraud on unsuspecting victims by pretending to be the previous account holder.

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We asked Twitter if it is concerned about this possibility, but received no direct response to that question.

It should be noted, however, that this is not the first time a tech company released old or unused handles back to the public. Way back in 2013, Yahoo announced it was doing just that.

"We’re freeing up IDs, that have been inactive for at least 12 months, by resetting them and giving them a fresh start," wrote then senior vice president of platforms Jay Rossiter. "In mid July, anyone can have a shot at scoring the Yahoo! ID they want."

As Wired noted at the time, this was "a spectacularly bad idea." Essentially, it would allow people to claim old email accounts, then try password resets on services like bank accounts.

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And while Twitter handles don't necessarily link to anyone's 401(k), freeing up old handles in the manner planned by the social media giant still leaves plenty of opportunity for fraud. So, as you should be doing anyway, keep your social-media head on swivel the next time your long lost friend pops up on Twitter asking for just a tad bid of financial help.

But hey, being able to finally register a bunch of dopey Twitter accounts only to then immediately forget about them will totally make this all worthwhile.

UPDATE: Nov. 27, 2019, 9:07 a.m. PST: After the publication of this article, a Twitter spokesperson insisted to Mashable that dormant accounts are themselves likely to seized by bad actors. Thus, wrote the spokesperson, deleting these inactive accounts is itself actually a security measure.

The spokesperson also wrote that the company is both concerned about and working to prevent people from registering newly released handles and using them for fraud.