Inactive account deletion: Difference between revisions

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*[[Twitch]] had implemented deletions of accounts that are not logged in for long periods while reclaiming their usernames in 2017 at least once.<ref>https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2017/01/06/username-rename-recycling-policy-update-882431cb966b/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251017164854/https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2017/01/06/username-rename-recycling-policy-update-882431cb966b/ Archived])</ref>

*[[X Corp|X]], formerly known as Twitter, had in 2023 announced its intentions to delete inactive accounts, although following public backlash it had retracted the decision, saying that inactive accounts would be archived instead while their handles would be freed. Despite the retraction, there are at least one anecdotal reports which alleged X had deleted suspended accounts that are not logged in for a long time.<ref>https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-remove-inactive-accounts-2023-05-08/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250526024527/https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-remove-inactive-accounts-2023-05-08/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014 ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250621004808/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014 Archived])</ref><ref>https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260125105022/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260111213116/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/ Archived])</ref>

==Proposed solutions==

* Partly in response to corporate arguments about financial costs that justify harsh inactive account deletion policies, the Pirate Parties International website had published opinion articles advocating for the creation of a Digital Legacies Treaty in which some large email and social media services will be treated as effective public utilities akin to healthcare and emergency services, as the financial costs required for the services to maintain access to user data would become a government expense, akin to a military defense budget. The Pirate Parties International also advocated for structured protocols for the services to follow if they decide to shutter their platforms, which can include bailout, takeover by another platforms, or donation of archival data to archival institutions such as the National Diet Library of Japan, the Bibliothèque nationale of France, and the National Archives of the USA.<ref>https://pp-international.net/2026/02/digitallegacies/</ref><ref>https://pp-international.net/2026/05/stopageverificationenforcement/</ref>

==References==

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 *[[Twitch]] had implemented deletions of accounts that are not logged in for long periods while reclaiming their usernames in 2017 at least once.<ref>https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2017/01/06/username-rename-recycling-policy-update-882431cb966b/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251017164854/https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2017/01/06/username-rename-recycling-policy-update-882431cb966b/ Archived])</ref>
 *[[X Corp|X]], formerly known as Twitter, had in 2023 announced its intentions to delete inactive accounts, although following public backlash it had retracted the decision, saying that inactive accounts would be archived instead while their handles would be freed. Despite the retraction, there are at least one anecdotal reports which alleged X had deleted suspended accounts that are not logged in for a long time.<ref>https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-remove-inactive-accounts-2023-05-08/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250526024527/https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-remove-inactive-accounts-2023-05-08/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014 ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250621004808/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014 Archived])</ref><ref>https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260125105022/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260111213116/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/ Archived])</ref>
+==Proposed solutions==
+* Partly in response to corporate arguments about financial costs that justify harsh inactive account deletion policies, the Pirate Parties International website had published opinion articles advocating for the creation of a Digital Legacies Treaty in which some large email and social media services will be treated as effective public utilities akin to healthcare and emergency services, as the financial costs required for the services to maintain access to user data would become a government expense, akin to a military defense budget. The Pirate Parties International also advocated for structured protocols for the services to follow if they decide to shutter their platforms, which can include bailout, takeover by another platforms, or donation of archival data to archival institutions such as the National Diet Library of Japan, the Bibliothèque nationale of France, and the National Archives of the USA.<ref>https://pp-international.net/2026/02/digitallegacies/</ref><ref>https://pp-international.net/2026/05/stopageverificationenforcement/</ref>
 ==References==