Twitter May Start Selling Usernames to Make Money

Twitter may sell usernames as a means of increasing revenue, according to a report by The New York Times. The possibility of organizing online auctions for usernames, also known as handles, has been discussed by engineers at the company since December last year.

However, it is uncertain if this idea will be implemented and if it will affect all usernames or just a few. This comes as Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk, seeks ways to generate revenue for the company.

In a tweet last month, Musk announced that Twitter would release 1.5 billion usernames by deleting inactive accounts. This follows his acquisition of the social network in October 2022, where he expressed interest in freeing up accounts with desirable usernames via a tweet reply.

Twitter is yet to respond to a request to comment.

Against Twitter’s Original Policy

Twitter’s policy prohibits buying and selling usernames, a practice that is known as “username squatting.” However, people have been able to acquire sought-after usernames on the black market for years. This illegal practice has also attracted hackers, as evidenced by the arrest of a teenager in 2020 for hacking the social network and selling high-profile usernames, including those of Musk, Obama, and Gates.

The report follows Telegram’s announcement in October that it plans to hold an auction for usernames on both individual accounts and channels, utilizing a marketplace built on the TON blockchain.

Since Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion, he has been seeking ways to increase revenue for the company, which has seen a decline in ad revenue. Advertisers have reportedly left the platform, and the company has lowered its internal revenue projections since Musk’s takeover.

In recent months, the company has implemented several changes to increase revenue. Recently, it announced plans to lift the ban on political ads in the near future. In November, the social network introduced a new version of the Twitter Blue subscription, which costs $7.99 and includes a verified blue checkmark.



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