Elon Musk says Twitter will purge inactive accounts. What does that mean for now-deceased users?

Emily Reed lost her younger sister Jessica more than 10 years ago. For much of the last decade, she’s visited Jessica’s Twitter page to help “keep her memory alive.”

Twitter became one of the places where Emily processed her grief and reconnected with a sister she describes as almost like a twin. But Jessica’s account is now gone.

Last week, owner Elon Musk announced Twitter would be purging accounts that have had no activity for several years. That decision has been met by an outcry from those who have lost, or who fear losing the thoughts and words of deceased loved ones linked to now-inactive accounts.