Google updates its inactive account deletion policy
Last year, along with this year in May and July, Google sequentially unveiled its policies pertaining to the removal of dormant accounts. In these announcements, an account was deemed inactive if the user had not logged into any Google products for over two years. Such constrained accounts are slated for deletion commencing in December 2023.
The deletion process is to be implemented in phases. In Google’s latest elucidation, the company emphasized that they would issue two email reminders prior to the account deletion. Account preservation necessitates nothing more than a user logging into their Google account.
Google has updated its inactive account deletion policy: Accounts not logged in for 2 years will be deleted. However, those that have uploaded videos to YouTube are exempted.
The initial batch of accounts earmarked for deletion are those that have been registered but not used, and have not been logged into for over two years – effectively, accounts registered prior to December 2021. Google will continue to further its account deletion policy, eradicating accounts that have been unused for more than two years, but show signs of prior usage.
An exemption clause has been provisioned for YouTubers. As long as they have uploaded videos to YouTube, their accounts will be indefinitely retained, even if they have not been logged in for more than two years. It is conjectured that Google’s rationale is to prevent the potential deletion or orphaning of user-uploaded videos.
In their email notifications, Google mentions:
The simplest way to keep a Google Account active is to sign-in at least once every 2 years. If you have signed into your Google Account or any of our services recently, your account is considered active and will not be deleted. Activity might include these types of actions you take when you sign in or while you’re signed in to your Google Account:
- Reading or sending an email
- Using Google Drive
- Watching a YouTube video
- Downloading an app on the Google Play Store
- Using Google Search
- Using Sign in with Google to sign in to a third-party app or service
If you have an existing subscription set up through your Google Account, for example to Google One, a news publication or an app, we also consider this account activity and your account will not be impacted. Additionally, we do not have plans to delete accounts with YouTube videos at this time.
Via: Neowin
