Google To Delete Personal Accounts That Have Been Inactive For 2 Years From 1 Dec
Earlier this year, Google announced an update to its inactivity policy, which included deleting personal inactive accounts.
Google Will Delete Accounts Unused For 2 Years From December To Prevent Security Threats
The update takes place starting this Friday (1 Dec) for accounts that have remained inactive for at least two years.
As such, users who would like to keep such accounts active should log in as soon as possible to avoid losing them.
Google will begin deleting inactive accounts by 1 Dec
Back in May, Google revealed that it will begin deleting personal accounts that have been inactive for at least two years this December.
The deletion of accounts has been confirmed to begin on Friday (1 Dec) — two days from now.
Source: Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
In a blog post, Google attributed the decision to update its inactivity policy to a need to enhance security for users.
Accounts that have remained idle for a long time are more likely to be vulnerable.
The tech giant added that these accounts are 10 times less likely to have their two-step verification set up as well.
In addition to deleting the account itself, the company will remove data stored in the following Google services:
- Gmail
- Docs
- Drive
- Meet
- Calendar
- YouTube
- Google Photos
Google will only consider an account active if a user logs in and performs any number of actions.
This includes reading or sending an e-mail, using Google Drive or watching a YouTube video, among others.
They must remain logged in while carrying out the action to ensure Google considers the account active.
Users will receive notification prior to removal
Prior to deleting the account, Google has assured it will notify the user beforehand.
For instance, it will send notifications warning of the impending deletion to the account or its recovery email.
Source: Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
Google had also emphasised back in May that it plans to adopt a “phased approach” to the removal of accounts.
It will thus start by deleting accounts that users created before never using them again.
In addition, it will send similar notifications to Google Photos users before removing any stored content.
An account can be exempt from the deletion, however, if it:
- Was used to purchase a digital item or a Google product, app, service or subscription that is current or ongoing
- Contains a gift card with a monetary balance
- Owns a published app or game with ongoing subscriptions and active associated financial transactions
- Manages an active minor account with Family Link.
More information about Google’s inactivity policy is available here.
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