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- Starting in December, inactive Gmail accounts will be at risk of deletion
- Google says the change will prevent scammers from taking over accounts
Millions of Gmail accounts will be deleted from December as Google changes its rules on inactive users.
Starting in three weeks, any Gmail account that hasn’t been used in more than two years will be deleted.
Your Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, Meet, and Google Photos accounts will also be deleted if they haven’t been active recently, along with all of their content.
Accounts at risk of deletion will be sent multiple notifications in the months before they are removed.
Google says the change is necessary to reduce the risk of criminals hacking inactive accounts and using them for spam or other malicious content.
Millions of Google accounts face permanent deletion starting December as Google tries to reduce the risk of hackers and scammers taking control of unused accounts
The cull, first announced in May, will begin with accounts that were created and then never used again, such as those used to access free trials.
If you’re worried that your account is about to expire, all that’s required to keep the account active is to log in once every two years.
Google says activities like reading an email, watching a YouTube video, or using Google Search will be enough to prevent account deletion.
If you store photos on a Google Photos account, you’ll need to sign in to the service separately to avoid permanently deleting your photos.
Users who maintain an active subscription to services such as newsletters or apps through their Gmail account will not face deletion either.
Accounts with videos uploaded to YouTube will also be saved, while business or school accounts will not be affected by the change.
The changes will affect Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar, and Google Photos accounts that haven’t been active for more than two years
Ruth Critchley, vice president of product management, says the change is necessary to “protect our users from security threats, such as spam, phishing messages, and account hijacking.”
Forgotten or unmonitored accounts are more likely to be hacked than accounts that are actively maintained.
That’s because older accounts often rely on old or reused passwords, and are 10 times less likely to set up two-factor authentication, according to an internal analysis by Google.
“These accounts are often vulnerable, and once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identity theft to transmitting unwanted or even malicious content, such as spam,” Ms. Critchley adds.
Recent analysis shows that hacked Gmail accounts are being sold on the dark web for less than $60 (£49).
If you’re concerned about being locked out of your account, Google recommends that you set up a recovery email to ensure access can be restored.
Users can also download and export their account data to other platforms through the Takeout feature that can create a complete account backup.
Through the Inactive Account Manager, users can also decide what happens to their inactive accounts.
These options include sending specific files to trusted contacts, deleting the entire account, or setting up an auto-reply system.
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