Google has announced that it will put into effect a new policy effective from December 1, 2023, which involves the deletion of inactive accounts. This move is aimed at enhancing user security against threats such as spam, phishing, and account hijacking.
Inactive accounts, as defined by Google, are those accounts that have not been used across Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, Google Photos, and Google Search for at least two years.
Google elaborated that activities such as email communication, video watching, photo sharing, app downloading, Google Search usage, and sign-ins with Google to third-party apps or services are the ones that make an account active. Before deleting an inactive account, Google will issue multiple warnings to affected accounts and their recovery emails.
Accounts with recent Google product purchases, active subscriptions, or financial transactions for apps or games are exempt from this policy. Similar policies are also adopted by other platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to manage their user base, reduce spam, and comply with data protection laws.