For Twitter, follow the steps listed on the site download a copy of your account information. You can then take actions such as deleting sensitive information, such as direct messages. Keep in mind that if you delete a direct message, it will only disappear on your end; the other people in the conversation should also delete it. Once all parties involved delete the conversation, Twitter is expected to remove it from its servers in about 10 days, according to a person familiar with the product who has asked not to be named for fear of retaliation. Mr Musk did not respond to a request for comment on whether he would continue that policy.
Twitter, which fired its PR team, did not respond to a request for comment.
Your Twitter timeline is easier to manage. Tools like Semiphemeral automate the process of deleting all your tweets from a specific time period, such as tweets older than 30 days.
Whatever you do, resist deactivating your Twitter account, several security experts said. In the past, Twitter gave public figures a blue check after showing the company an ID. But the new system allows anyone to pay $8 a month to get a tick, making imitation easier.
Influential people such as politicians and celebrities are most likely to be impersonated, but this can also harm anyone using Twitter to follow friends and relatives. Imagine a scenario where an imposter creates an account in your name and persuades a family member to wire you some money in an emergency, said Casey Ellis, the chief technology officer of the security company Bugcrowd. This is more likely to be an issue if you deleted your real account.
“It’s a cheap attack that can hit anyone,” said Mr. Ellis.
Another part of an exit strategy should be a plan to take your followers with you. For example, you can advertise on social media where you live differently on your Twitter bio or even write a post about it.
Anil Dash, a tech entrepreneur, listed his Mastodon username on his Twitter profile and said he used a web tool, Fedifinder, to search for his Twitter contacts on Mastodon. He now has about 11,300 Mastodon followers, a small fraction of his half million followers on Twitter.
Spread your bets
Another way not to invest too much in one site like Twitter is to have an active presence on multiple platforms.
