Google wants to close inactive accounts after 2 years – SHOCK2

Google has updated its personal account inactivity policy to two years. If an account hasn’t been used or logged into for at least two years, it can be deleted, including content in Google Workspace, YouTube, and Google Photos.

This change is intended to increase security as unused accounts are more vulnerable to attacks. Google wants to roll out the change slowly and with enough notice. The first account deletions will begin in December 2023.

Before deleting an account, Google sends several notifications to the account’s email address and recovery email address. The easiest way to keep your Google account active is to sign in at least once every two years. If users have an existing subscription through their Google account, this will also be considered account activity and the account will remain unaffected. Users must also sign up for Google Photos every two years to ensure that their photos and other content are not deleted.

Google also found that abandoned accounts are at least 10 times less likely to have two-step verification than active accounts. This makes them more vulnerable to identity theft and unwanted or malicious content such as spam. However, the change does not affect accounts owned by organizations such as schools or businesses.

Google/Jorn Schmidt