The X social networking platform, formerly Twitter is about to launch the “X Handle Marketplace” – the official marketplace for handles that no longer works.

Premium+ and Premium Business subscribers are allowed to request or buy unique names that they want.

Two name groups and two trading forms

• Priority group: full names, multi-character phrases or special character strings may be requested for free.
  If the request is approved, the user will receive a new handle, but if the handle is cancelled or downgraded to a Premium subscription, it will be automatically revoked after 30 days.
  For example: @GabrielJones, @PizzaEater, @paradoxAI.
• Rare: short, popular, or culturally valuable names that are offered for sale at a fee, for between $ 2,500 and over $ 1 million.
  There are two modes of possession:
  • Public Drop: publicly available, X selects buyers based on influence and purpose.
  • Direct Purchase: offer to buy directly for a fixed price.
    For example: @Pizza, @Tom, @one.

After purchase, users are allowed to keep the name forever even if they stop signing up for Premium.

Target prediction and control mechanism

According to X, this trading market aims to:

• Increased revenue from paid users, amid declining advertising.
• Fight spam and bot piracy, and ensure that rare name distribution is transparent and controlled.

Each request will be reviewed by X within 3 days, and users can add their desired name to the Watchlist to receive notifications when it is open for sale.

Overview from the perspective of a cybersecurity expert

This is X’s new commercial initiative, which, while not directly related to cybersecurity, will be tied to digital identity management, account name ownership and the safety of user infrastructure.

The purchase and sale of rare handles for up to millions of VND seems to indicate that a trend towards commercialization of digital resources is becoming more pronounced in the social networking ecosystem.