Google has announced that it will be deleting inactive Gmail accounts. Any account that has not been accessed in over two years will be subject to deletion. This decision is part of Google’s ongoing effort to manage its resources and ensure the security of its users’ data.
For an account to be considered inactive, it should not have been accessed through any Google services, such as Gmail or Google Photos, during the specified time period.
Learn Why Google Might Decide To Delete Your Gmail Account
Users will be provided with multiple cautionary emails prior to the deletion of their account.
A user mentioned that he got a notification in January stating that his Google account will be terminated on September 20th if no action is taken.
Therefore, Google and Gmail users have been asked to check accounts urgently in case they have received the same email.
Ruth Kricheli, VP, Product Management at Google, said last year: “If an account hasn’t been used for an extended period of time, it is more likely to be compromised.”
Ms Kricheli added that the change is necessary to “protect our users from security threats, like spam, phishing scams and account hijacking.”
Forgotten or unattended accounts are much more likely to have been compromised than accounts that are actively maintained.
This is because old accounts often rely on out-of-date or re-used passwords and are 10 times less likely to have two-factor authentication set up, according to an internal analysis by Google.
“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 even malicious content, like spam,” Ms Kricheli added. MailOnline
