Google To Delete Old Google Accounts Not Used In Two Years

Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOG,GOOGL) Google, in a recent blog post, has revealed a new policy wherein inactive Google accounts, including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar), YouTube and Google Photos will be deleted if they haven’t been active for at least two years, starting later this year.

This comes as an updation to Google’s inactivity policy and aims to enhance user privacy and streamline Google’s services.

Google presents the deletion of inactive accounts as a solution to combat spam and enhance security. The blog post highlights that abandoned accounts have significantly lower instances of 2-step verification, making them susceptible to compromise and potential misuse for spamming and identity theft.

In addition to addressing security concerns, freeing up storage through the removal of old accounts aligns with Google’s recent cost-cutting efforts.

Google’s policy regarding inactive accounts specifically targets individual accounts, while business accounts that are actively paying a monthly fee can remain inactive without any repercussions.

According to Google, the minimum requirement to keep an account active is to sign in at least once every two years. The company also provides examples of activities that count as “activity” for accounts that are already signed in. According to their post, reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading an app on the Google Play Store, using Google Search or using Sign in with Google to sign in to a third-party app or service, all count as activities.

According to the post, activities such as paying for a Google One storage subscription or any other existing subscription through the account is also recognized as “activity.”

Notably, Google Photos has its own distinct criteria for account activity, potentially resulting in the deletion of only the photos. To maintain activity in Google Photos, users need to visit the app or website, or upload a photo every two years, as specified by Google’s separate guidelines.

The policy will be implemented in December this year. Users who have remained inactive for two years or more will not have their accounts immediately deleted but will receive multiple notifications leading up to the deletion.

Google has committed to sending notifications to both the account email address and the recovery email, provided one has been set up. This ensures that users are well-informed and have ample opportunity to take action before their accounts are permanently removed.

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