HOUSTON — Come December, Google will start deleting inactive accounts that have not been used or signed into for at least two years.
The company said people won't just lose access to their emails, but they'll also lose content stored within Google Workspace.
Google said its focus is on the safety and security of its users and over the years, it has invested in technology and tools to protect users from threats and account hijacking, but even with those protections, if an account hasn't been used for an extended period of time, it is more likely to be compromised.
"Our internal analysis shows abandoned accounts are at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have 2-step verification set up," Google said in a press release. "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."
Google said this new policy only applies to personal Google Accounts and will not affect accounts for organizations like schools or businesses.
Before deleting an account, Google said it will send multiple notifications to the user, to both the account email address and the recovery email (if one has been provided).
The simplest way to keep your account active is to sign in.
For tips on how to make sure your account is protected, click here.