Uncut Radio
Google plans to delete inactive user accounts that have not accessed any of its services for two years starting in December.
The deletion process will include removing content stored in Google Workspace, YouTube, and Google Photos.
Google will send multiple notifications before deleting an account and the policy will not affect business or school accounts.
Minimal activities such as email usage, Google Drive, YouTube, app downloads, signing in to third-party services, or conducting a Google search will keep an account active.
Google has not disclosed its plans regarding the usernames of deleted dormant accounts.
Our internal analysis shows abandoned accounts are at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have 2-step-verification set up. Meaning, these accounts are often vulnerable, and once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identity theft to a vector for unwanted or even malicious content, like spam,
We will take a phased approach, starting with accounts that were created and never used again.
Google
This decision comes in the wake of Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s announcement about purging dormant accounts and recycling the associated usernames.
