Previously unavailable Twitter handles could be up for grabs after Twitter revealed plans to remove users who haven't logged into their accounts for a prolonged period of time.
Inactive accounts are currently being sent email notices to prompt users to login if they wish to keep their existing username.
The removal of accounts will begin after December 11th and users have until then to login to retain their handle.
Twitter refer to the action as a 'clean up' and say it will make the information shared on the platform more trustworthy, credible and accurate.
They also confirmed to The Mirror Online that 'bot' accounts- those that operate on an algorithm and require no human input- would be impacted.
Accounts belonging to the deceased are also expected to be at risk, if no one is able to log in before the December deadline.
Twitter's existing policy on deceased users states that even in the event of a death no access would be given to anyone's account "regardless of their relationship to the deceased."
In a statement sent to The Mirror Online, Twitter said: "As part of our commitment to serve the public conversation, we’re working to clean up inactive accounts to present more accurate, credible information people can trust across Twitter. Part of this effort is encouraging people to actively log-in and use Twitter when they register an account, as stated in our Inactive Accounts Policy .
"We have begun proactive outreach to many accounts who have not logged into Twitter in over six months to inform them that their accounts may be permanently removed due to prolonged inactivity."
"Twitter's 'inactive account policy' that all users agree to when signing up says: "To keep your account active, be sure to log in and Tweet at least every 6 months.
"Accounts may be permanently removed due to prolonged inactivity."
The move comes after a somewhat testing year for the platform.
Earlier this year the company revealed that they have 126 million daily users, a figure that investors found underwhelming due to it's main competitors, Facebook , revealing they have 1.2 billion daily users.
The news saw the share price tumble by 12% on the New York Stock Exchange.
In April the company then saw their share price surge by 15% due to impressive first-quarter results.
But, October's third-quarter results massively disappointed, which they said was due to bugs and a less exciting summer events.
The results once again made the recovered stock drop- this time by nearly 21%.
The move to delete unused accounts may spark a spurt of activity on the platform that could be valuable for the company.
