In May, Google announced the impending deletion of old and inactive accounts, a measure aimed at enhancing user security. The process begins tomorrow but saving your ‘abandoned’ account remains simple.
Account Deletion Criteria
Google’s decision stems from internal research indicating the vulnerability of old accounts due to insecure passwords and lacking security measures like two-factor authentication. The deletion wave targets untouched accounts since creation and those inactive for two years.
Policy Details
The policy exclusively applies to personal accounts, sparing organizational ones for now. This decision aligns with Google’s 2020 initiative to erase data from abandoned accounts while retaining the accounts themselves. Users were forewarned about the impending deletion if no activity surfaced.
Impact and Reassurances
Deleting accounts also means eradicating associated data from various Google services like Calendar, Mail, Drive, and Photos. However, Google clarified that YouTube videos linked to inactive accounts will remain unaffected by this purge, reassuring creators.
Securing Your Account
To safeguard your account, engaging with any Google service suffices, notes NIXSolutions. Activities such as checking Gmail, watching YouTube videos, using Google Drive, or logging in on a website through Google authentication demonstrate account activity, ensuring its preservation.
The upcoming Google account deletion, driven by security concerns, highlights the importance of account engagement to avoid potential removal.