Security News > 2023 > May > Google will delete accounts inactive for more than 2 years
Google has updated its policy for personal accounts across its services to allow a maximum period of inactivity of two years.
Google says the policy change aims to enhance online security, as inactive accounts often fall prey to account hijacking, typically due to old and weak passwords and no additional security measures.
"Starting later this year, if a Google Account has not been used or signed into for at least 2 years, we may delete the account and its contents," said Ruth Kricheli, Google's VP for Product Management.
"Our internal analysis shows abandoned accounts are at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have 2-step-verification set up."
This does not mean all users who haven't used their Google accounts for two years or longer will have their accounts deleted by the end of the year.
Many had naively assumed their Google accounts were invulnerable, treating them as seemingly everlasting repositories for their digital lives.