If you haven’t used your Google account for more than two years, it may be gone next December. This has just been confirmed by the Mountain View group in a blog post announcing the update of its policy regarding the inactivity of Google accounts.
All related content will be removed.
3 years ago, Google had already implemented a similar policy but it only affected files stored in Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos and not the account itself. Therefore, starting in December, Google will be able to delete all accounts that have been inactive for two years, as well as all content from Google Workspace (Gmal, Docs, Drive, Meet and Calendar), YouTube and Google Photos.
Professional accounts associated with companies or schools will be saved. But for users, reminder messages should be sent before any deletion to account email address and recovery email. If it can reassure you: the simple fact of connecting to your mailbox or watching a YouTube video is enough to keep your account active.
A matter of security
“If an account hasn’t been used for a long period of time, it’s more likely to be compromised,” Google’s blog post reads. In fact, according to internal research, abandoned accounts are 10 times less likely than active accounts to have 2-Step Verification set up. This means that these accounts, often with very old passwords, are potentially more vulnerable and at risk of being used for identity theft, sending spam or even phishing scams.
Google also advises creating a backup plan for your account and your content. This already involves checking that your recovery email entered when you registered is still up to date, but also using Takeout to download and export your data to other platforms. If you plan to stop using your account for more than two years, the giant recommends the Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to send files to your contacts or even delete your account entirely.
Source: BFM TV
