- Google users must be signed in to all Google accounts to avoid mass data purification
- Google account holders can use Google Takeout to download their files
- READ MORE: Google announced it would delete inactive Gmail accounts in May
Millions of Gmail users will lose access to their inactive accounts, in what Google says is an attempt to stop fraudsters from accessing user data.
Gmail accounts that haven’t been used in the past two years will disappear starting Friday, along with all content in the connected apps Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, Meet and Google Photos.
The company said it will send users multiple notifications that their Gmail account is about to be deleted, giving them time to log in and interact with their content to prevent it from being lost forever.
However, if you want to protect saved photos and other documents, just signing in to Gmail isn’t enough. This requires users to access their Google Photos accounts to avoid losing their memories.
Google announced the policy change in May, claiming it was working on ways to protect users’ data from potential fraudsters.
Google will begin deleting “inactive” accounts in December. Under Google’s updated inactive account policy, which the tech giant announced back in May, accounts that haven’t been used in at least two years could be deleted. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Google’s policy update states: “If an account has not been used for a long period of time, it is more likely to be compromised.” “This is because forgotten or unattended accounts are often based on old or reused passwords that may have been compromised, have no two-factor authentication set up, and have fewer user security checks.”
As a result, these accounts could be hijacked and used for spam or other malicious content, as well as identity theft.
Ruth Kricheli, vice president of product management at Google, told earlier this month that the change was necessary to “protect our users from security threats such as spam, phishing scams and account theft.”
She added: “These accounts are often vulnerable, and once an account is compromised, it can be used for everything from identity theft to transmitting unwanted or even malicious content such as spam.”
A Google spokesman told AP users with accounts on YouTube, which is owned by Google, that they don’t need to worry about the company deleting their videos at this time.
YouTube requires users to sign in to the app with their Gmail account. The connection usually means that if a user deletes their Gmail account, their YouTube account will be deleted along with all data associated with the account, including all videos, comments and subscriptions.
The spokesperson added that people with Google accounts through a school, organization or company would also not be affected.
If users want to protect themselves from losing access to old accounts, they can take steps to comply with Google’s requirements, including sending or clicking emails, using Google’s search tool, or watching YouTube. Videos via their linked account.
Google said in its initial press release that deletion would begin with accounts that were created but never subsequently used. This means that long-term users who have recently been inactive may have more time to save their accounts or the files associated with them.
In the meantime, users should download Google Takeout to export their account data if they want to save their files but not their account. Google Takeout offers a quick and easy way to download and transfer any data outside of Google at any time.
Likewise, users can access Google’s Inactive Account Manager to choose what happens to their account and data when it becomes inactive, including sending select files to trusted contacts, setting up an auto-reply, or deleting the account entirely.
The easiest way to keep your Google account active and prevent it from being deleted is to log in at least every two years.