In May of this year, Google changed its policy for inactive, personal accounts created on its platform. Over the last several months, Google has been announcing via email and other avenues its intent to purge these inactive accounts, beginning this December. They define inactive accounts as those which have not been used in at least two years. While this new policy extends to all personal Google accounts, including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar) and Google Photos, it will not affect accounts for organizations like schools or businesses.
So why is Google making this change? There are several reasons, but the most important one has to do with cybersecurity. Google has invested in technology and tools to protect users from security threats, such as spam, phishing scams, and account hijacking. Even so, an account that has been dormant for an extended period is more likely to be compromised. This is because forgotten or unattended accounts have often been created with weak or reused passwords that may have been compromised over time. This creates an increased opportunity for that account to be hacked and used for anything from identity theft to a vector for unwanted or even malicious content, like spam.
If you have a Google account or accounts that you have not used in at least two years, and you want to keep that account, sign into your account now and complete an activity. If you do this, your account will be considered active and will not be deleted. Activity might include the following:
- Reading or sending an email.
- Using Google Drive.
- Watching a YouTube video.
- Downloading an app on the Google Play Store.
- Using Google Search.
- Using “Sign In with Google” to sign into a third-party app or service.
If you have an existing subscription set up through your Google account, for example to Google One, a news publication or an app, Google also considers this account activity, and your account will not be impacted. Any of these actions will keep your account in an active status for another two years.
While you are at it, take this time to implement these recommended security strategies:
- Update your Google account password. A strong password will be at least 13 characters long and include upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Provide a recovery email for your Google account. This can be a lifesaver if you get locked out of your mail account or it’s hacked in the future. If you don’t have a secondary email address, you can add the email of someone else close to you and who you trust.
- Implement multifactor authentication (MFA) The most significant advantage of MFA is the added layer of protection. Even if a malicious actor acquires your password, they will still need the second (or third) factor to gain access. This combination of identity verification protects your accounts and reduces your chances of getting hacked.
- Backup up your data using Google Takeout. You can backup pretty much everything in your Google account using this tool. (In the Google Help Center, search for “How to use Google Takeout.”)
Take care of this ASAP and at least every two years to assure you continue to have access to the free accounts Google provides.
