Google to Delete Gmail Accounts in December: What Users Need to Know.
Google has initiated a warning to users about the upcoming deletion of millions of Gmail accounts next month as part of a significant update to the platform. The purge is set to impact all personal Google accounts left dormant for at least two years, leading to the permanent deletion of emails, documents, spreadsheets, calendar appointments, photos, and videos.
The policy, introduced earlier this year, is scheduled to take effect in December 2023. Ruth Kricheli, Google’s vice president of product management, mentioned in a May blog post, “We are updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to two years across our products. 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.”
The primary objective behind this move is to protect active Google users from potential security threats such as phishing scams and account hijacking. Dormant accounts are often susceptible to hacking as they may employ passwords compromised in previous security breaches, readily available on the dark web.
Google assures users that any account at risk of deletion will receive “multiple notifications” before any action is taken, including alerts to associated recovery email addresses. The company has already commenced sending emails to those affected, emphasizing the deletion’s purpose as a measure “to protect your private information and prevent any unauthorized access to your account even if you’re no longer using our services.”
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It’s important to note that losing access to a Gmail account could potentially hinder users from utilizing other online platforms and services associated with that email address, even if unrelated to Google.
To maintain account activity and avoid deletion, Google users are advised to open or send an email, use Google Drive, download an app from the Google Play Store, or simply make a Google Search while logged into the account. Notably, any account that has posted a video to YouTube will not be impacted, regardless of its last activity date.
