Google to delete inactive accounts starting Friday. Know how to avoid it

Starting Friday (Dec 1), Google will be deleting accounts that have not been operated by the users for a couple of years, according to a BBC report.

Under its inactive account policy, the tech giant will start the purge, albeit in a phased manner, with accounts that "were created and never used again" getting the bump first.

Google Vice President of Product Management Ruth Kricheli wrote a blog post in May in which the company stated that steps are being taken to reduce the risk of account deletions.

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The company has cited security reasons as the cause of the drive, stating that forgotten and unused accounts are more likely to be compromised by hackers and other notorious actors.

Using a Google account allows a user to access a plethora of Google products such as Gmail and YouTube, using the same username and password.

It was in May, earlier this year that the company first hinted at clearing the aisle of unused accounts.Google Vice President of Product Management Ruth Kricheli in a blog post highlighted the steps being taken by the California-based company to improve security of the product.

“Google is updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to 2 years across our products. Starting in December, if a Google account has not been used or signed into for at least 2 years, we may delete the account and its contents, including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar), and Google Photos,” read the post.

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Who stands at risk?

The policy is only applicable to personal Google accounts not accessedin the last two years. Accounts of organisations like schools or businesses will remain unaffected by this overhaul.

How to avoid getting deleted?

According to experts, simply signing into an account or sending an email should be enough to keep it active. Google added that reading or sending an email using Google Drive or watching a YouTube video could also help avoid getting the boot.

However, Google suggests that once you have gained access to the account, a recovery email address should be added as it will help reset the password if the user forgets it.

(With inputs from agencies)