Google to delete inactive accounts starting in December

SAN FRANCISCO — Alphabet Inc's Google on Tuesday (May 16) said it would delete accounts that had remained unused for two years starting in December, in a bid to prevent security threats including hacks.

The company said that if a Google account had not been used or signed into for at least two years, it might delete the account and content across Google Workspace, which includes Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet and Calendar, as well as YouTube and Google Photos.

The policy change only applies to personal Google Accounts and not to those for organizations like schools or businesses.

In 2020, Google had said it would remove content stored in an inactive account, but not delete the account itself.

Starting Tuesday, Google will send multiple notifications to the account email address and recovery mail of the inactive accounts before deletion.

Last week, Elon Musk said Twitter would remove accounts that have been inactive for several years and archive them, saying that the action is "important to free up abandoned handles". REUTERS