In a move to enhance security and reduce the risk of hacks, Google has announced that starting from December 2023, millions of inactive accounts will be deleted. This decision targets accounts that have not been used for over two years, encompassing services across Google Workspace, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, and Calendar, as well as YouTube and Google Photos.
The initiative, first announced earlier this year, marks a shift from Google’s 2020 stance, where the company stated it would only remove content in inactive accounts but not delete the accounts themselves. Google plans to send multiple notifications to the account and recovery email addresses before proceeding with deletion.
Personal Google Accounts that have remained inactive for two years or more are at risk. This policy does not affect accounts for organizations such as schools or businesses.
Google justifies this action by pointing out that inactive accounts pose a higher security risk. These accounts often use outdated or reused passwords, lack two-factor authentication, and are not regularly monitored for security threats. Google’s analysis suggests that abandoned accounts are far more likely to be compromised and used for malicious activities like identity theft or spreading spam.
To avoid deletion, Google advises users to simply sign in to their account at least once every two years. Activities that count towards keeping an account active include reading or sending emails, using Google Drive, watching YouTube videos, downloading apps from the Google Play Store, using Google Search, or signing into third-party apps or services with a Google account. Users who have engaged in any of these activities recently are considered to have an active account and are not at risk of deletion.
