Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, stated on Monday that dormant accounts that haven’t been used in a while will be deleted from the service.

Musk stated in a tweet that “We’re purging accounts that have had no activity at all for several years, so you will likely see follower count drop.”

Users and advertisers have been alienated by Musk-mandated changes at Twitter, including staff reductions and the elimination of free verification check marks that were seen as seals of authenticity.

Late in April, some media, celebrity, and other high profile accounts had their blue ticks reinstated; this action was opposed by the recipients in large numbers.

When this happened, Musk tweeted that he was “paying for a few (subscriptions) personally.”

Several official media accounts have had their tick back, including AFP, which does not use Twitter Blue.

NPR, a US public radio station, ceased activity on its accounts in mid-April. The restored ticks were unable to tempt NPR back.

The broadcaster was one of those who objected to the designations “state-affiliated” and “government-funded” Twitter assigned to them, which were formerly only applied to non-independent media funded by autocratic governments.

Since Musk acquired Twitter, the business has eased its policy on content moderation, allowing numerous users who had been banned for posting messages that incited hatred or propagated false information to rejoin the platform.

Market analysts claim that as marketers stay away from Twitter, revenues have decreased.

AFP