Announced that Google will delete Google accounts that have not been used for two years
Google has announced that it will update its policy on accounts that have not been used for a certain period of time, so-called dormant accounts, and will delete accounts that have not been used for two years.
Updating our inactive account policies
Google has long invested in technologies and tools to protect users from security threats such as spam, phishing scams, and account hijacking. However, even with these protections, if an account has been inactive for a long period of time, it is more likely that it will be compromised. This is because forgotten or neglected accounts often rely on old or reused passwords that may have been compromised, and features such as two-factor authentication are not available to improve security. This is because it is often not set.
According to Google's internal analysis, dormant accounts are 10 times less likely to have two-factor authentication set up than regularly used active accounts. Therefore, Google said, ``Dormant accounts are vulnerable in many cases, and if an account is compromised, it can be used for everything from identity theft to the mediation of unwanted or malicious content such as spam. There is a possibility,” he pointed out.
In light of these, Google has updated its inactive account policy and announced that it will delete accounts if they are inactive for two years on all services. The new policy will take effect immediately, but actual account deletion will not begin until December 2023 at the earliest. After this, there is a possibility that accounts and their contents (contents in Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Calendar), YouTube, Google Photos) that have not been used for at least two years will be deleted. .
In addition, account deletion will be carried out in stages, starting with 'an account that has never been used since the account was created'. In addition, notices will be sent to the account and the recovery email address several months before the account is deleted.
The inactive account policy applies only to personal Google accounts and does not affect accounts operated by organizations such as schools and businesses. Along with the update, Google explains that it will also limit how long Google retains unused personal information.
A good way to keep a dormant account active is to log into your account at least once every two years. If you log in to your Google account or perform the following actions while logged in, your account will be recognized as active.
- Read and send emails
・Use Google Drive
・Watch YouTube videos
・Download the app on Google Play
・Use Google search
・Sign in to third-party apps or services using “Login with Google”
Also, if you have subscriptions to
In addition, Google recommends setting an email address for resetting and using a data backup tool . In addition, by using the account invalidation management tool , it is appealing that it is possible to set in advance what to do with the account data when the account becomes dormant.
In May 2023, Twitter just updated its dormant account deletion policy.
Twitter announces that it will delete dormant accounts, dormant account certification if not logged in for 30 days - GIGAZINE
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in Web Service, Security, Posted by logu_ii