We used to say the internet was written in ink: Anything you did online would stay online forever. These days, however, it’s obvious how wrong that is. Links all over the web no longer go anywhere, YouTube videos disappear for good, and now, Google is ready to keep killing the past, as it plans to delete any Google Account it deems to be “inactive.”
Why is Google deleting old accounts?
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Google announced on Tuesday it had updated its inactivity policy for Google Accounts to the following: If an account has not be used or logged into for at least two years, Google may delete the accounts and its data. That includes Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar) and Google Photos content.
Google’s reasoning for the decision is security-based. According to the company, an account that hasn’t been accessed in more than two years is likely compromised, because those accounts often use leaked passwords, lack 2FA, or have less security settings. While that idea may have some merit (Google says abandoned accounts are ten times less likely to have 2FA set up), it still seems extreme. I know I have unused accounts that aren’t compromised, and under this policy, I’d lose them.
Not all Google Accounts will be deleted
There are a couple of important caveats here. First, while this policy change is official as of Tuesday, Google won’t start deleing accounts until December at the earliest. The company says it will give users multiple warnings, as well. (But if you aren’t using the account, you’ll probably miss these.)
Second, this change only applies to personal Google Accounts. Your school or work accounts are safe, even if you haven’t touched them in years. Third, if you have an active subscription with an account you haven’t logged into in over two years, you’re safe. That counts as activity, even if you aren’t using the account for anything else.
Finally, the change does not apply to accounts with YouTube videos. (Thank god.) The company’s original announcement did say it would delete YouTube content as part of this policy change, but following backlash, it decided to drop accounts with YouTube videos from its deletion plans.
It would be a disaster otherwise. There are likely so many videos on YouTube tied to inactive accounts. It would be a total loss to see them go, just because Google decided to purge these accounts. While I’m not a fan of the new policy, I’m at least grateful for this loophole.
How to save your old Google Accounts
Luckily, it’s easy to save your inactive Google Account from deletion: Log in and do something with it. That’s it. Google offers a list of actions you can take to remove your account from the kill list, including reading or sending an email, opening Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading a Play Store app, googling something, or using Sign in with Google to log into a different account.
Going forward, however, it’s good practice to set up a recovery email for your account to help you access it if you lose the password. You’ll also want to make sure that recovery account stays active: I lost a Google Account because I lost my recovery account, and I can’t access the verification codes Google sends to prove my identity.