This week, Google is set to remove certain accounts that have been dormant for over two years.
Starting this Friday, Google will implement a strategy to discard accounts that have not been active for a minimum of two years.
In May, Google disclosed this policy, explaining its aim to mitigate security risks. The company’s research indicated that older accounts are more likely to use reused passwords and lack modern security features like two-factor authentication, making them more susceptible to phishing, hacking, and spam.
Since August, Google has been alerting the users of these accounts, sending numerous notifications to both the accounts and any backup email addresses provided.
Google will initially target accounts that were established but never accessed again, as stated in their May announcement. Google expressed in an update in August, “Our goal is to safeguard your private data and prevent any unauthorized access to your account, even if you are no longer active on our services.”
Google accounts encompass a range of services, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Photos. Consequently, any data stored in these services by an inactive user could be deleted.
Nevertheless, some accounts are exempt from this action. These include accounts with YouTube channels, those with unused gift card balances, those used for digital purchases like books or movies, and those with apps currently available on a platform like the Google Play store, as mentioned by Google in August.
This decision marks a more rigorous approach than Google’s previous policy. In 2020, Google announced that while the content from unused services would be erased, the accounts themselves would remain intact.
To prevent your account from being deleted, simply log into your Google account or use any Google service once every two years. This could involve reading an email, watching a video, or conducting a simple search, among other activities.
