Twitter to delete unused accounts in huge 'clean-up' that will remove dead people's profiles

Users will get access to old usernames after they are cleared out

Twitter's decision comes against backdrop of growing concern about the influence social media plays in elections (AP)

Twitter is to begin a massive 'clean-up' of profiles on its service, wiping away people who do not use their account.

That could include people who have died, whose profiles can be of great sentimental value to their loved ones.

But it is also expected to free up some usernames that are owned by dormant accounts and have been long desired by active users.

Twitter has told people they need to log on before 11 December if they want to keep their accounts.

Without knowing their password, loved ones stand to lose memories on the platform once a person has passed on, though Twitter said it is thinking about ways it could memorialise these accounts.

Twitter's biggest rival, Facebook, allows family and friends of the deceased to freeze their account, so it can still be viewed and messages can be posted on their page.

There is no indication of how soon freed-up account names will be made available for others once the cull gets under way.

Twitter wrote in emails to affected users that the effort is about ensuring users agree to their updated terms and privacy policies.

"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," a spokesman for the social media platform said.

"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."

People are not required to tweet from their account to keep it active, they just need to sign in and follow on-screen prompts.

Additional reporting by Press Association