Google Set To Delete Inactive Accounts

Published on May 19, 2023

According to a recent announcement made by Google, the company is set to delete inactive accounts that have not been logged in in at least two years.

Although Google implements numerous policies to protect user¡¯s personal Google accounts, notably two-factor authentication, the company reasoned that ¡°if an account hasn¡¯t been used for an extended period of time, it is more likely to be compromised¡±, thus leading to much more potential troubles down the road, as many other services are also linked to one¡¯s Google account, such as Youtube, Google Drive, or Gmail.

If such an account is deleted, all information related to the account would be lost forever, claimed Google.

Keeping a Google account active is very straightforward, according to the announcement. Activities such as sending an email, watching a Youtube video, or using Google search can all mark the account as active and avoid automatic deletion.

Sources:

https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/updating-our-inactive-account-policies/