Google will begin removing inactive user accounts next month. Google officially declared in May that it will begin erasing personal accounts that have been inactive for two years, with the process beginning in December 2023.
The idea for this fairly daring step is that elderly accounts are often the most attractive targets for hackers since they may be employing insecure passwords, similar to those used by compromised accounts discovered on the dark web. They are also the targets of malicious actions such as spam, phishing schemes, and account takeovers.
Google will begin removing inactive user accounts next month
According to the Independent, Google has begun sending email reminders to users with dormant accounts on the impacted accounts as well as recovery addresses, warning them that their accounts are being destroyed for security reasons. Those affected will get an email informing them that the change is being made “to protect your private information and prevent any unauthorised access to your account even if you are no longer using our services.”
This can be a problem for those who have previously used specific email addresses to sign up for websites, as cancelling those accounts may result in losing access to those sites.
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In terms of what will be removed, Google has stated unequivocally that it will delete all data found on any of its services, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, and so on.
However, if an account was used to publish a YouTube video, it would not be deleted, as such a move could result in the loss of legacy content on YouTube as well.
If you’re among those affected and wish to keep your account active, send an email, download an app from the Play Store, or watch a YouTube video with that account before December.
Notably, Google is just removing personal accounts; business and educational email addresses are unaffected. However, the process will be irreversible, so act accordingly.
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