X grabs users’ handles, changes ad post format

Users have accused X, formerly Twitter, of grabbing their handles for its own use

Updated - August 07, 2023 04:19 pm IST

Published - August 07, 2023 03:42 pm IST

X, formerly known as Twitter, has taken over the account handles of existing users [File]

X, formerly known as Twitter, has taken over the account handles of existing users [File] | Photo Credit: AP

The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has taken over without consent the account handles of existing users on the app as it rebrands to become part of Elon Musk’s X Corp.

Users such as Jeremy Vaught who owned the @music handle on Twitter said they had been working on the account for around 16 years when it was “ripped away” by X, reported tech outlet The Verge. The handle @X belonging to another user was also taken away, as per the report.

X has also made tweaks to the way it shows advertisements on the platform. According to its website, X Business offers five types of promoted advertisements: Image Ads, Video Ads, Carousel Ads, Moment Ads, and Text Ads.

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While many of these ads can be distinguished due to a “promoted” label at the bottom of the post, some ads on the platform have switched to a far more subtle “Ad” label on the top right-hand corner, which makes the post harder to identify as promoted media at first glance.

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