As Twitter is being rebranded as 'X', the company has taken over the @x handle on the platform without warning or compensating its original owner.
The owner of the @x Twitter handle confirmed that the company took over the account, telling him the handle is the property of X, reports TechCrunch, citing sources.
The account had previously belonged to Gene X Hwang of the corporate photography and videography studio Orange Photography.
In a letter, the company thanked Hwang for his loyalty, offered him a selection of X merchandise and also extended an invitation to visit X's headquarters, as a "reflection of our appreciation".
Hwang was surprised the company hadn't contacted him about the @x account he owned and had put it private.
However, he stated that he would be open to a conversation with the company if they desired the handle for themselves.
Hwang said that X gave him a letter informing him that the @x account is connected to X Corp. and that he will be given a new handle.
According to the company, all of his data, including his followers and following data, would be transferred to his new account.
"It would have been nice for them to compensate for it since it did have a lot of value to me, but things are what they are," Hwang told TechCrunch.
"Maybe I should ask for the bird from the sign since they were dismantling that yesterday too," he joked.
Musk had started hinting at the rebranding on Sunday with a series of tweets, starting with one that said, "soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds."
Musk on Tuesday clarified, "Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the everything app. This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing."
"The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140 character messages going back and forth -- like birds tweeting -- but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video," he added.
Indonesia blocks Musk's 'X' domain over gambling, porn history
Elon Musk's rebranding of Twitter as 'X' has resulted in the microblogging platform being temporarily blocked in Indonesia, owing to the country's strict laws prohibiting online pornography and gambling.
According to Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Informatics, the domain had previously been used by sites that did not adhere to the country's strict laws against "negative" content such as pornography and gambling, reports Al Jazeera.
Director General of Information and Public Communication at the ministry, Usman Kansong, stated that the government has been in touch with X to gain clarity on the nature of the website.
"Earlier today, we spoke with representatives from Twitter and they will send a letter to us to say that X.com will be used by Twitter," Kansong was quoted as saying.
Due to the recent move, Indonesians are currently unable to access the platform, which is said to have approximately 24 million users in a population of 270 million people, the report said.
In 2022, Indonesian authorities threatened to block websites such as Netflix, Google, Instagram, and Facebook if they did not remove "content deemed unlawful, or that disturbs public order". Netflix and TikTok were previously banned in the country, in 2016 and 2018, for "inappropriate content".
Musk announced the sudden switch as part of a larger plan to transform Twitter into a "super app" similar to China's WeChat. In theory, X can be used for payments, messaging, and other non-social tasks. Meanwhile, Musk has had a long history with the letter and brand "X". The most well-known example is SpaceX, another company in which he serves as CEO. Then there's xAI, Musk's AI-focused venture, and X Corp, his corporate shell firm. He even named his son "X Æ A-Xii". Musk bought back the X.com domain in 2017 after being the original owner since 1999.
(With inputs from IANS)
