Deleting a suspended Twitter account without access to the email
I had an X/Twitter account suspended at least seven years ago. I believe I appealed at the time, but the appeal was rejected. The account is not publicly accessible: visiting http://x.com/*username* shows that it is suspended. However, it does not seem fully deleted, because when I use “Forgot password” and enter the username, the profile picture still appears.
When the account was suspended, I tried to delete it, but Twitter did not offer a normal deletion option for suspended accounts. Years later, I learned that some people have had suspended accounts deleted by submitting a privacy request through:
https://help.x.com/en/forms/privacy
and referencing laws such as the GDPR.
My problem is that although I remember the username, password, email address, and phone number, I no longer have access to the email or phone number. The email was a Gmail account I closed years ago, and the phone number has since been reassigned to someone else. The account also likely had 2FA enabled, but I no longer have access to any 2FA methods, backup codes, or authenticator entries.
I believe SMS-based 2FA may also have been enabled. Since the phone number has been recycled, I am afraid to try logging in, because the current owner of the number might receive an unexpected SMS code, realize an X/Twitter account is linked to the number, and then try to access it through “Forgot password” or the newer OTP login option in the X mobile app.
My questions are:
- When requesting deletion of a suspended X account through the privacy form, is access to the original email address or phone number strictly required? Or can the request still be processed without access to either?
If email access is required, how is that enforced? Does the contact email in the form need to match the account’s registered email? Is that enough, or does X send a confirmation email to the registered address and require a reply before deletion? In short, is deletion impossible without access to the original email?
Could ownership be proven by knowing the account password, even without access to the email, phone number, or 2FA?
- One of my main reasons for wanting the account deleted is the possibility that the new owner of the recycled phone number could access it.
a. If they somehow gained access to a suspended account whose appeal was already rejected, what could they see? Only basic information like the username and profile picture, or also tweets, DMs, or other private/sensitive data?
b. Is phone-number access alone enough to log in? The “Forgot password” flow seems to have some safeguards, such as sometimes requiring the username when using a new device.
However, I am more worried about the “Continue with phone” / OTP phone login feature in the X mobile apps. I tested it with my mother’s account, with her permission. Her phone number is linked to her account, and my phone had never logged into it before. I tapped “Continue with phone,” entered only her phone number, received a 6-digit SMS code, and after entering it, I was logged in without being asked for a username, email, or password. This made me worry that the current owner of my old number might be able to access my suspended account the same way.
- If I submit the privacy form, should I enter the email originally registered to the account, even though I cannot access it, or an email address I can currently receive replies at?
Also, could submitting the form trigger any SMS notification or code to the recycled phone number and alert its current owner to the account?
For people who have submitted privacy forms for suspended X accounts, did the replies seem human-written, or mostly automated? Is there a realistic chance that a human will read the explanation, understand the situation, and take appropriate action?
I have seen some people claim that after submitting a privacy request to delete a suspended account, their account was unexpectedly unsuspended instead, even though a previous appeal had been rejected. Is that a real risk? I absolutely do not want the account restored, because I no longer use X/Twitter and I worry that unsuspension could make private content easier to access.
I would be very grateful to hear from anyone who has successfully deleted a suspended X account, especially without access to the original email, phone number, or 2FA method.