Shortly after Twitter became X we decided it was time to pull our automated feeds. After all we’d observed declining value and efficacy (minimal engagement really) and had to pay for the pleasure of those automations. Having gone through burning hoops to enjoy the pleasure of using their API, we ended up giving in to the inevitable. We didn’t much like the politics of the platform’s owner or his pals, so that was another consideration. We had intended to leave the feed there, but today we have decided to delete the whole kit a caboodle as the politics get messier.
If anyone has a feed they are not comfortable with keeping public, there are a spectrum of options including making it private. If you’re aiming to make your X account effectively invisible but not fully delete it, here are some steps to minimize its presence without taking the drastic step of deletion:
1. Make Your Account Private:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Privacy and Safety > Audience and Tagging, then select Protect your Tweets. This will make your posts visible only to approved followers.
- While this doesn’t remove existing followers, it prevents anyone new from viewing your content without approval.
2. Remove Followers Manually:
- You can remove followers individually by going to your followers list, selecting each follower, and choosing the Remove this Follower option. Unfortunately, X doesn’t offer a bulk option for this, so it’s only practical for accounts with fewer followers.
- Alternatively, you could block and immediately unblock followers, which removes them without leaving a permanent block (though this may still require significant time if there are many followers).
3. Clear Profile Information:
- Delete your profile and header images, remove bio details, and change your display name to something generic. This will make the account seem abandoned or inactive.
4. Delete Posts and Media Content:
- As mentioned, you can use bulk deletion tools or manual methods to delete tweets and media. Removing posts while keeping the account will leave the handle occupied but devoid of content.
5. Disable Discoverability:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Privacy and Safety > Discoverability and Contacts, and uncheck options like Let others find you by your email and Let others find you by your phone number to minimize visibility.
6. Limit Interaction and Access for AI:
- Adjust settings to restrict engagement. Though X has not released specific options to prevent AI access, limiting public interactions, followers, and tweets can reduce your account’s exposure.
Deleting Your Account and Data Retention
If you choose to delete your account, X (Twitter) claims that, after a 30-day deactivation period, your data is permanently removed from public access. However, there are some caveats:
- Backups and Data Retention: X likely retains backup data internally for a limited period post-deletion for legal and operational purposes. While X doesn’t disclose specifics, data may remain accessible within their systems.
- Public Data Persistence: Deleted content may still be indexed in search engines or third-party sites that previously scraped or archived your tweets. Services like the Wayback Machine or third-party data miners could still have snapshots or records of your posts if they were public.
If your goal is to reduce the account’s visibility and engagement on the platform without deletion, making it private and clearing all data offers a practical middle ground. However, even with deletion, it’s prudent to assume some level of archived visibility exists outside X’s immediate control.
