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| Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash |
Starting next month, Google will start to delete millions of inactive Google Workspace accounts, covering Gmail, Drive, Docs, Meet, Calendar and Google Photos.
According to a Google blog post earlier this year, the Internet Search giant noted that it will commence the deletion of some accounts and its contents as part of security measures to protect accounts from security threats, like phishing scams, spam, and account hijacking.
"If an account hasn't been used for an extended period of time, it is more likely 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", Ruth Kricheli, VP Google's Product Management said.
Kricheli emphasized the increased vulnerability of accounts that remain inactive for extended periods, citing the reliance on outdated or recycled passwords, the absence of two-factor authentication, and reduced user security checks as contributing factors. Unattended accounts become prime targets for compromise, leading to potential risks such as identity theft or serving as conduits for unwanted and malicious content, including spam.
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"The policy only applies to personal Google Accounts, and will not affect accounts for organizations like schools or businesses. This update aligns our policy with industry standards around retention and account deletion and also limits the amount of time Google retains your unused personal information," Ruth Kricheli added.
Deletion of inactive accounts will begin in December 2023 and will be executed in different phases, starting with accounts that were created but never utilized. However, account holders will receive multiple notifications via their registered and recovery email addresses, alerting them of the impending deletion. This way, account owners have an opportunity to retain their accounts and prevent permanent data loss.
How To Prevent Your Google Account From Being Deleted
Its very easy to keep your account active and prevent it from being deleted by Google. Sign into your Google once every two years and your accounts will be considered active. After singing into your account, ensure to do any of the following:
- Reading or sending an email
- Using Google Drive
- Watching videos on YouTube
- Downloading an app from the Google Play Store
- Using Google Search
- Using Sign in with Google to sign into a third-party app or service
Having an existing subscription set up via Google Account is also considered as an active account.