Google’s new deletion policy intends to protect users against security threats

The policy, set to commence in December this year, will impact accounts that have remained unused for a minimum of two years, encompassing various Google services.

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Google plans to delete inactive accounts starting in December this year. The move aims to protect users from security threats such as spam, phishing, and hijacking. Accounts that have not been used for at least two years will be affected, including content in Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar, YouTube, and Google Photos. 

On the other hand, YouTube’s creator liaison, Rene Ritchie, clarified on Twitter that Google has ‘no plans to delete accounts with YT videos’. 9to5Google reports a statement from Google’s spokesperson saying, ‘at this time, we do not plan to delete accounts with YouTube videos.’

Users will receive notifications months before deletion, and the policy will only apply to personal accounts, not business clients. Google will consider an account active if the user has signed in within the past two years. The company believes that deleting dormant accounts, which frequently have compromised passwords or lack two-factor authentication, can prevent these accounts from being exploited to facilitate harmful activities such as identity theft or disseminating undesirable and malicious content.