Doha, Qatar: Google has announced a new update to its policy regarding inactive accounts.
The company stated it may start deleting a Google Account, including its contents if it has not been used or signed into for at least 2 years. This includes the inactive account's Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar) and Google Photos.
The policy only applies to personal Google Accounts, and will not affect accounts for organizations like schools or businesses, it added.
Although the update has already taken effect, Google will begin deleting accounts from December 2023, in a phased approach, starting with accounts that were created and never used again.
Google will also send multiple notifications over the months leading up to the account deletion. Notifications will be sent to the user's account email address and its recovery email, if available.
The new policy is in line with the company's efforts in boosting security against potential threats – like spam, phishing scams, and account hijacking – stating that inactive accounts are often vulnerable and have the potential to be compromised.
"This is because forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or re-used passwords that may have been compromised, haven't had two-factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user," the company stated.
Based on its internal analysis, abandoned accounts are at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have a 2-step verification set up.
"Meaning, these accounts are often vulnerable, and once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identity theft to a vector for unwanted or even malicious content, like spam," it added.
To keep an account active
A user can keep their Google Account active by simply signing in at least once every 2 years. If a user has signed into a Google Account or any of its services recently, the account will be considered active and will not be deleted. Some of these actions include reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading an app on the Google Play Store, using Google Search, and using Sign in with Google to log in to a third-party app or service.
An existing subscription set up using a Google Account is also considered as an account activity and will not be affected by the latest policy. Additionally, Google also does not have plans to delete accounts with YouTube videos at this time.
Google also encouraged its users to provide a recovery email at sign-up, noting that the email provided is active and up-to-date.
