Twitter may have found a new source of revenue: selling popular usernames.
According to a new report from The New York Times, users may soon be able to purchase usernames or handles at auction. The possible plan comes after CEO Elon Musk announced last month that the site would be freeing up over 1 billion inactive accounts in the near future.
If enacted, the move would signal a change in direction for the company. Twitter has a policy to stop people from sitting on usernames in an attempt to sell them, a practice called username squatting.
Despite the policy, a thriving username black market has existed for years.
Since his takeover of the company last year, Mr. Musk has made dramatic attempts to increase revenue for the social media giant. Some of the more intense decisions included massive layoffs in key departments, auctioning off office furniture and introducing the paid subscription service Twitter Blue.
Mr. Musk also plans to allow political advertisements on Twitter, a significant departure from previous policy, and possibly an attempt to gain back revenue that was lost when prominent advertisers pulled out of Twitter in response to his takeover.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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