Cloud Rot: Google has long required an official account to access its online services, both on web and mobile platforms. A Google Account can serve as a gateway to many popular services, and you'll now need to maintain a certain level of activity to keep it alive.
Google announced a new policy for inactive accounts in 2023, stating that unused accounts would ultimately be deleted. They're now enforcing the policy, with an unspecified number of Google Accounts being deleted after showing no user activity for a certain period.
Google defines an inactive account as one that hasn't been used in two years. The company reserves the right to delete such accounts entirely, though this only applies to personal accounts. Work, school, or corporate accounts remain unaffected, even after more than 24 months of inactivity.
All data in an inactive account will be permanently removed from the internet, Google warns. The company claims that deleting abandoned accounts enhances security, as these accounts are often forgotten or left unattended. Such accounts can become easy targets for cybercriminals, with their original users potentially unaware of any compromise.
The new policy could spell doom for a vast amount of information and personal web content, starting with abandoned blogs hosted on the Blogger platform. People managing multiple Google accounts are likely to be the most affected, as they'll now need to periodically check in to each account to avoid total data deletion.
For single-account users, managing the new policy should be straightforward. Google clarified that an account is considered "active" if it's being used. Common online activities like reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, sharing a photo, downloading an app, or even performing a Google search will automatically flag an account as active.
There are also several exceptions to the two-year deletion policy. Google confirmed in 2023 that an account will be exempt from deletion if it contains a single YouTube video, has been used to purchase a Google product, an app, or a subscription, or holds a monetary balance. Accounts involved in active financial transactions or managing a minor's account through Family Link are also safe.