How to deactivate and delete a Twitter account amid reports Elon Musk set to charge users for verification and Twitter Blue

According to reports, Twitter is looking to introduce a charge for verified users that could see users charged $8 a month.

Twitter are said to be "strongly considering" requiring those with the free check mark on their profile pay for their verification.

The Verge are reporting that Twitter is planning to charge $19.99 for a new Twitter Blue subscription, and that blue checkmarks will be lost to users if they don't pay within 90 days of the change. The provisional date for the change is reportedly November 7.

The latest report comes following the Twitter takeover from Elon Musk, which saw the tycoon buy the social media platform.

Here's how to delete your Twitter account.

Mr Musk said that he would form a “content moderation council” for Twitter and promised advertisers that the website would not devolve into a “free for all hellscape.” He has also described himself as a “free speech absolutist”.

But at least one major advertiser, General Motors, has said it will suspend advertising on Twitter while it monitors the direction of the platform under Mr Musk.

How to delete a Twitter account

While the reports of charges for verification – many are seeking to deactivate or delete Twitter, with searches of how to delete a Twitter account up 160% in the last month.

Deactivation begins the process to permanently delete your Twitter account – and means your username (or “handle”) and public profile will not be viewable on twitter.com, Twitter for iOS or Twitter for Android.

To delete Twitter you should first deactivate it first – meaning that if you don’t access your account within 30 days after the deactivation period, Twitter will delete your account and will no longer associate your username with it.

When Twitter deletes your account, you can no longer see your account, reactivate it, or see your Tweets.

To delete Twitter you need to click on your settings and accounts, then deactivate account. This can be done here.

Twitter alternatives: What is Bluesky?

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is beta testing a new social media application called Bluesky. Dorsey announced that his decentralised social app Bluesky is seeking beta testers. Bluesky intends to be "a competitor to any company trying to own the underlying fundamentals for social media or the data of the people using it"

Bluesky was initially founded by Twitter in 2019.