According to Google, abandoned accounts often have weak or compromised passwords and lack two-factor authentication. Google's analysis revealed that inactive accounts are at least 10 times less likely to have two-step verification compared to active accounts, making them vulnerable to malicious activities such as data theft and unwanted content distribution when compromised.
It's important to note that this new policy only applies to personal Google accounts and does not impact organizations such as schools or businesses.
To start, Google will delete accounts that have never been used since their creation. Prior to deletion, the company will send notifications to account owners over several months, using both the account email address and a backup email address if provided.
To prevent an account from being deleted, users are encouraged to log into it at least once every two years. An account will be considered active if the user engages in activities such as reading or sending emails, using Google Drive, watching YouTube videos, downloading apps from the Google Play Store, utilizing Google search, or using the "Sign in with Google" feature for third-party applications or services.
Subscriptions obtained via the account, such as Google One or a news publication, will also be considered as activity.
Google first announced the update to its inactive account policy in May 2023.
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