The deadline to prevent the deletion of your inactive Google accounts is approaching.
According to Forbes, tech giant Google will begin enforcing its updated inactive account policy on December 1st. The policy, first announced in May, applies to accounts that have been inactive for two years and covers content in Google Workspace such as Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar and Google Photos. The policy only applies to personal Google accounts and not to accounts owned by organizations such as schools or businesses.
According to a blog post by Ruth Kricheli, vice president of product management at Google, earlier this year, the cleanup is part of a security measure to protect accounts.
“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, do not have two-factor authentication set up, and receive fewer user security reviews,” Kricheli wrote. “That means 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 like spam.”
Deletion occurs gradually, starting with accounts that were created and never used again.
Do you want your account to stay active?
The easiest way to keep your account active is to log in – at least every two years. If you are signed in to your Google account, it is considered active and will not be deleted. This activity includes registration and:
- Read or send an email
- Using Google Drive
- Watch a YouTube video
- Download an app from the Google Play Store
- Using Google Search
- Use Sign in with Google to sign in to a third-party app or service
Anyone who has already set up a subscription through your Google Account is also considered an active account. Additionally, you must specifically sign in to Google Photos every two years to be considered active and ensure that your photos and other content are not deleted.
More details can be found here.