Don’t let this news get lost in your inbox.
Google is scheduled to delete large numbers of inactive Gmail accounts as a cybersecurity initiative that takes effect on December 1.
Any account that hasn’t been touched for two years could be eradicated, including a user’s Google Workspace apps like Drive, Docs, and Photos.
The reason: Older accounts can be susceptible to attacks “because forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or reused passwords that may have been compromised, have not had two-factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks from of the user. ”wrote vice president of product management Ruth Kricheli in a May blog post. for titan onlineadding that the company has “invested in technology and tools to protect our users from security threats, such as spam, phishing scams, and account hijacking.”
The updated policy affects only personal accounts and will provide immunity to school or business accounts, according to Kricheli, who announced the measure in May.
Since then, numerous notifications have been sent to inactive accounts and their subsequent recovery emails. The first to be attacked are those “that were created and never used again.”
For users concerned about the possibility of being deleted, Kricheli advises that “the easiest way to keep a Google account active is to sign in at least once every two years.”
“If you have recently signed in to your Google Account or any of our services, your account is considered active and will not be deleted.”
Actions including reading or sending email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading apps from the Google Play Store, using Google to sign in to a third-party service, or simply using Google Search count as activity, according to Kricheli.
Users must specifically sign in to Google Photos separately to preserve your images.
“If you have an existing subscription set up through your Google account, for example to Google One, a news publication or an application, we also consider the activity of this account and your account will not be affected,” the vice president added.
“Additionally, we have no plans to remove accounts with YouTube videos at this time.”
