Google will start deleting inactive accounts later this 2023, purging dormant Gmail, YouTube, and Drive accounts, among others.
To avoid deactivation, the search engine giant gives users several months to keep safe their abandoned accounts. Or else Google plans to delete the data of purged accounts altogether.
Google To Delete Inactive Accounts Later This Year
MILAN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 06: A general view of atmpsphere during the IF! Italians Festival at Franco Parenti Theater on November 6, 2015 in Milan, Italy.
Google says in its latest blog post that it will begin deleting inactive accounts later this year - or in December 2023, to be exact. But before doing so, the search giant assures users that it will nudge these users with repeated alerts months before the purge starts.
The Google blog post says the new policy, which only applies to personal Google Accounts, takes effect on May 16. But despite that, account deletion only starts this December. For now, the tech juggernaut will contact affected users by sending them notifications on their recovery email and inactive account.
According to Engadget, Google angles the looming inactive account purge as a step to boost the privacy and security of its users. However, the tech news site suggests it might be a move to save some money, reducing the clutter in its servers to make up for some space. After all, with billions of Gmail users worldwide, it is no surprise that Google has accumulated plenty of dormant accounts over the years.
But as per Google, it is more of an additional security measure. The giant firm notes that these inactive accounts become vulnerable over time as they still come with old or recycled passwords. On top of that, these abandoned accounts more likely have yet to enable two-factor authentication, comprising its overall security while making it more vulnerable to hacking.
With that in mind, the search juggernaut found a solution to mitigate the risks. A new policy aims to delete accounts that have been inactive for at least two years. The new measure may delete data from various platforms, including Gmail, YouTube, Google Photos, and other Workspace services like Drive, Meet, Calendar, Docs, and Sheets.
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How to Avoid Gmail Deactivation
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 25: Matias Durante, Vice President, Design at Google, speaks on stage during the Google I/O Developers Conference at Moscone Center on June 25, 2014 in San Francisco, California. The seventh annual Google I/O Developers conference is expected to draw thousands through June 26.
To protect your Gmail account from the looming purge this December, Google gave users straightforward methods to continue enjoying the service.
According to CNET, reading or sending an email automatically removes your Gmail account from inactive status. Although ChatGPT and BingChat are the crazes these days, simply searching on Google with your abandoned account signed in saves you from the purge.
If you are fond of watching videos online, watching a YouTube video also bails out your account. Even as simple as downloading and installing an app from the Google Play Store if you are an Android user. It is not rocket science.
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