Buttondown's username retention policy

Twitter recently updated their inactive account policy, paving the way for their ability to 'reclaim' abandoned accounts that have been deemed inactive.

I'd like to take this opportunity to re-affirm Buttondown's policy on this subject:

1. We will hold onto your username and archives indefinitely, regardless of whether or not you're a paying customer. We understand that newsletters are often hobbies or projects with long-term horizons, and stepping away for months or years is not just normal but healthy.
2. If you delete your newsletter, there is no grace period — that username can be immediately recycled by another user.

(As always, these policies can be superseded by healthy judgment in cases of terms of use violations: if you're egregiously camping usernames or engaged in malicious activity on the platform, they may not apply. )

Here's the thing: digital life is hard enough. You should not have to spend any time worrying about someone stealing your digital identity, nor any time worrying about a URL you visited in 2023 having vanished in 2025.

Buttondown is, more than anything, committed to making your life a tiny bit easier in a number of ways. We hope this policy is one of those infinitesimal ways.