[diimdeep]

> Until recently, 70% of all Telegram usernames had been reserved in inactive channels by cybersquatters from Iran. This created a graveyard of dead usernames that cluttered search results and prevented millions of Telegram users from selecting appropriate public addresses for their accounts, groups and channels.

https://t.me/durov/195

[t0w5a]

now they cannot select "appropriate public addresses for their accounts, groups and channels" as well because most of the names are listed for sale on auction!

[uni_rule]

> We noticed this problem and therefore have found a very profitable solution to sell everyone

[brink]

They have to pay for servers somehow. Selling long dead channel handles is better than privacy invasion.

[duskwuff]

It's not better when it comes at the cost of taking some of those handles away from people that were using them.

[jaywalk]

But they weren't using them. That's the whole point.

[duskwuff]

There are a number of situations I'm personally aware of where users had usernames revoked for channels they were actively using.

One common case where this occurred is when users used a channel as a "bio" or "blog", and posted to the channel infrequently to update it.

[ls15]

@pg hasn't posted on HN for two years. Can I have his username?

[brink]

@pg is paying for the servers