Google can delete your account, photos, and other data, know why!

Google may delete your account and any data saved on it to keep you 'safe'. Google has announced that it is updating the inactivity policy for Google Accounts for 2 years. This means that if your Google Account hasn't been used or signed in to for at least 2 years, Google may delete your account and content, including Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar), YouTube, and Google Photos are included. The company has clarified that it will start deleting inactive accounts from December 2023. The brand will start with accounts that were created and never used again. Prior to deleting an account, both the account's email address and recovery email will send several notifications over the prior months to protect it from deletion.

The company is calling the move a security exercise as forgotten or unattended accounts can be misused by anyone. According to the company, abandoned accounts are at least 10 times less likely to set up 2-Step Verification than active accounts.

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 malicious content such as spam.

The simplest way to keep a Google Account active is to sign in at least once every 2 years. If you've recently signed in to your Google Account or any of our services, your account is considered active and will not be deleted.