Until now, Google could delete data from personal accounts that did not comply with its instructions, but now the entire Google account can be deleted.
Do you have old Google accounts that you haven’t used in a while? You might want to log in and check it every 24 months or so, as Google announced an update to its policies regarding inactive accounts on May 16. The old policy, set in 2020 at the same time as the end of free unlimited storage for Google Photos, stated that Google could erase data stored in accounts that have not been touched for at least two years. But the account was not deleted.
But one blog post written by Product Manager Ruth Kricheli says that now these accounts could be deleted entirely. The new policy won’t be enforced until December this year at the earliest, so you have time to remember old login details. Another important point: if your Gmail account is deleted, it will be impossible to create a new account with the same identifier, specifies Google.
Rene Ritchie, head of creator relations at YouTube, said on Twitter that this policy will not include removing accounts that have uploaded YouTube videos. Some feared that channels posted by people who had died or abandoned their accounts would suddenly disappear. Google also updated the blog post announcing its new policy to reflect this, saying “we have no plans to remove accounts with YouTube videos at this time.”
Google will begin deleting inactive accounts in December 2023 (at the earliest) and will take a “phased approach”, starting with “accounts that were created and never used again”. The company says it will “roll this out slowly and carefully.”
It is best to keep your account active by performing one of these actions:
- Read or send an email (like viewing an inactivity alert)
- Use Google Drive
- Watch a YouTube video
- Download an app from the Google Play Store
- Use Google Search
- Use Sign in with Google to sign in to a third-party app or service
- Using a connected Android device is considered an activity.
When the new policy begins, Kricheli says the company will start with accounts that were created and never used again and will also send “several notifications in the months leading up to deletion” to the address and any email of recovery attached.