UNITED STATES: Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., announced on Tuesday that it would deactivate accounts that had been inactive for two years starting in December. If a Google account has not been used or logged into for at least two years, it may remove the account and any associated data from Workspace, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, and Calendar.
The change in policy only applies to individual Google Accounts and does not affect accounts used by corporations or institutions. Elon Musk said this week that Twitter would archive and delete accounts that have been inactive for several years, citing the need to free up abandoned handles.
The company has made substantial modifications to its inactivity policy across all of its platforms in an effort to increase user security. On Tuesday, Ruth Kricheli, the company’s VP of Product Management, described the changes in detail.
Kricheli believes inactive accounts can be a security risk due to outdated passwords or no two-factor authentication, making them open to nefarious activity.
Kricheli’s policy will only apply to personal Google Accounts, and the length of time unused personal data is stored is limited. Users will be notified several times before their accounts are deleted, with the first removals starting in December 2023.
Users must sign in to their Google Account at least once every two years to keep their account activity active. This includes using Google Drive, watching videos on YouTube, and installing apps from the Play Store. Users with active subscriptions are not subject to this regulation.
Kricheli advised customers to regularly update their recovery email and use the free Google tools for account management and data backup. The Google Takeout function enables users to download and export their data.
At the same time, the Inactive Account Manager allows users to control what happens to their account and data after up to 18 months of inactivity. The current update strengthens Kricheli’s commitment to account security and privacy, and they will continue to protect their private information.
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