Twitter is exploring selling usernames as a potential revenue-booster, reports The New York Times. This follows owner Elon Musk’s efforts to find new ways of generating income for the company.
Twitter will soon start freeing the name space of 1.5 billion accounts
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2022
“The future is now! 🚀 Let’s make it happen. #innovation”
TechGround’s request for comment went unanswered by the social network.
Twitter’s policy forbids buying and selling of usernames, yet ‘username squatting’ still occurs on the black market. In 2020, a teen was arrested for hacking prominent accounts (Musk, Obama etc.) to sell them off.
Telegram announced in October that it will launch an auction for usernames via a marketplace built on the TON blockchain.
Since Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter, he has sought ways to increase revenue despite a drop in ad income. Reports indicate that many advertisers have since left the platform and the company has lowered internal revenue projections.
