Security News > 2023 > May > Inactive Google accounts will be deleted

A week after Twitter announced it will be removing idle accounts after 30 days of inaction, Google has updated its account inactivity policy.

Google says that the updated policy is effective immediately, but that it will start deleting accounts that haven't been active for at least 2 years only later this year.

"We may delete the account and its contents - including content within Google Workspace, YouTube and Google Photos," said Ruth Kricheli, VP, product management at Google.

Google plans to start deleting accounts in December 2023, and first on the chopping block will be accounts that have been created but have never been used.

"Our internal analysis shows abandoned accounts are at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have 2-step-verification set up. Meaning, 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," Kricheli explained.

A paid subscription - e.g., Google One, YouTube, Google Play - will also be considered as account activity and the account will not be affected by the inactivity policy.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/05/17/google-account-inactivity-policy/