Introduction
Google will begin deleting inactive accounts starting Friday, in line with a policy the company first announced in May, leaving users just a few days to ensure they keep their old email, documents, and files.
Key Facts
Under Google’s new policy, an account is considered inactive if it has not been accessed in the past two years, giving the company “the right to delete it” along with “its activity and data”.
The company states that deletions under this policy will begin on December 1.
When announcing the policy update in May, the company said it would take a “gradual approach” to deletions, starting with accounts that have been created but never used.
The company also says it will send “multiple notifications” in the coming months before deleting an account – either to the primary email of the inactive account or any secondary email address linked to the account.
Google states it is doing this to prevent unused accounts from becoming tools for identity theft or spam.
What to Watch For
Inactive users can avoid losing their accounts simply by logging into their accounts at least once every two years, which Google will consider a sign of active usage. Reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading apps from the Play Store, or even searching on Google will all be considered signs of active usage. The company states that the deletion policy only applies to personal accounts and does not affect accounts set up by a school, workplace, or other organizations. Any account with an active subscription will also not be considered inactive. Setting up a “recovery email” on an inactive account can be a useful way to avoid unexpected deletion, as Google will notify the user before taking any action. The recovery email does not have to be another Gmail account.
What We Don’t Know
Users who choose to delete their Google accounts sometimes have the option to recover their account – especially if the deletion was recent. It is unclear if this privilege will be extended to users whose accounts were deleted by Google itself. It is also unclear what happens to the email address of a deleted account. Typically, Google does not allow the recycling of deleted email addresses, but it is unknown if this policy will also apply to deleted inactive accounts.
Important Quote
Google’s CEO Ruth Kretschmer wrote about this move: “These accounts are often vulnerable, and once a compromised account is hacked, it can be used for anything from identity theft to a tool for unwanted content or even spam.”
Opposition
Digital preservation advocates criticized Google’s decision when it was first announced in May. MIT Technology Review likened files, emails, photos, and other items in inactive accounts to unpublished messages and works by authors like Emily Dickinson, John Keats, and Franz Kafka. Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, told the magazine that Google’s move seems like a business decision and will “erase people’s history, thoughts, and experiences.” The planned deletion of accounts is particularly egregious because Google accounts are used to access many essential web services like Google Docs, Search, Drive, Photos, and YouTube.
Additional Information
At the time of the announcement, many people online raised warnings that the decision could impact the YouTube accounts of inactive or deceased users, potentially erasing their videos from the internet. However, the company later clarified that accounts with YouTube videos will not be affected by this decision.
Reading
Additional
Your digital life is not as permanent as you think
Google’s plan to delete inactive accounts shows that the internet is not eternal
Follow me on Twitter. Send me a secure tip.
Editorial Standards
Reprint and permission notices
Leave a Reply