Google begins the countdown: Those accounts will be deleted

Google is now counting down the days to implement a decision it made for security reasons. The tech giant had announced that it would delete inactive accounts to deter scammers from accessing user data.

Gmail accounts that have not been used in the last two years, along with all content in the associated Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, Meet, and Google Photos applications, will disappear starting Friday.

The company had stated that it would send various notifications to users informing them that their Gmail accounts were scheduled for deletion, thereby giving them time to log in and avoid losing their accounts entirely.

THE DANGER IS VERY HIGH FOR THOSE ACCOUNTS

In May, Google updated its security policies, stating that it was working on ways to protect users' information from potential scammers. The following statements were included in Google's policy update:

“If an account hasn't been used for an extended period of time, it is more likely to be compromised. This is because forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or reused passwords that may have been compromised, haven't had two-factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user.”

Google notes that these accounts can be compromised and used for identity theft, as well as for spam or other malicious content.

FOR SECURITY

Ruth Kricheli from Google also said earlier this month that this change is necessary to protect users from security threats such as spam, phishing scams, and account hijacking:

“These accounts are often vulnerable, and once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identity theft to unwanted or even malicious content like spam.”

However, Kricheli also noted that the updated policy will only affect personal accounts and that this situation will not apply to school or work accounts. If users want to protect themselves and avoid losing access to old accounts, they can send an email, check an incoming email, use the Google search tool, or watch YouTube videos from their connected accounts.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PREVENT THE ACCOUNT FROM BEING DELETED?

Additionally, if users do not want to save their files, they need to download Google Takeout to export their account data.

It was learned that after the new updated policy, it will be sufficient for users who do not want their Google account to be deleted to log in at least once every two years.

News Source: 12punto