Is The Twitter Username You Wanted Taken? You Might Get A Chance To Buy It – SlashGear

According to The New York Times, two sources familiar with the matter claim Musk is looking at selling desirable Twitter usernames to the highest bidder. They suggest these plans have been discussed since late last year and would involve a series of online auctions. Beyond that, details are scarce. It isn’t known if the names for sale are currently unused, belong to the 1.5 billion inactive Twitter accounts Musk claims will be deleted, or if they include the handles of active accounts too. Theoretically, there could be a situation where more affluent users can snag a handle someone has had for over a decade by simply lining Musk’s proverbial pockets.

Under the current terms of service, users are not allowed to buy or sell usernames or accounts. If you jump the gun and decide to respond to an offer that crops up in your DMs you could simply be banned. Musk himself has yet to confirm or deny the rumors, but given the apparent need for extra revenue, anything is possible. Like other major decisions, there’s also a chance Twitter users could be polled on the subject. If the poll doesn’t align with Musk’s wishes, however, there’s always a chance he could just ignore it anyway.