Google to Delete Inactive Accounts After Two Years

India, May 17 (ANI): Google has announced that it will start deleting accounts that have been inactive for at least two years, a move aimed at preventing security risks. The company made this announcement in a report by CNN Business.

Immediate Effect, but Deletion to Begin in December

The updated policy takes effect immediately, but Google said it will not begin deleting accounts until December. The company plans to send out multiple warning notifications to users and conduct the purge of inactive accounts in phases.

First Accounts on the Chopping Block

The first accounts on the chopping block will be those that were created and then never revisited by the user, Google said. The policy also will only impact personal accounts, leaving organizations like schools and businesses untouched.

Reason Behind the Decision

Google’s decision is based on internal findings that older accounts are more likely to rely on recycled passwords and less likely to employ up-to-date security measures like two-step verification, making them far more vulnerable to issues like phishing, hacking, and spam.

Older Policy

The decision to delete accounts goes a step further than an older policy, CNN Business said. In 2020, Google said users would have their content wiped from services they’d stopped using, but the accounts themselves would not be deleted.

How to Save Your Account

To save your account, all you need to do is log in to sign into your account or any Google service and perhaps read an email, watch a video, perform a single search or any number of other activities, according to CNN Business.

Published On May 18, 2023 at 03:39 PM IST

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