Google is deleting Gmail accounts
Google is deleting Gmail accounts
Google is continuing to delete Gmail accounts that haven’t been used in more than two years. The company revealed last November it would be deleting inactive Google accounts, including Gmail, as part of a major purge.
To be classed as inactive, an account should not have been logged onto via any of the Google services, including Gmail or Google Photos during the past couple of years. Users should receive a number of warning emails before the account is removed.
Why is Google deleting accounts?
Accounts that have been forgotten or unattended are a lot more likely to have been compromised because they may have out-of-date or re-used passwords andlack a two-factor authentication set up.
‘These accounts are often vulnerable, and once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identity theft to a vector for unwanted or even malicious content, like spam,’ Ms Kricheli added. Ruth Kricheli VP, Product Management at Google, said last year: ‘If an account hasn’t been used for an extended period of time, it is more likely to be compromised.’ Ms Kricheli added that the change is necessary to ‘protect our users from security threats, like spam, phishing scams and account hijacking.’
How to ensure your Gmail account is not deleted
If you only have one Google account and you use it regularly, you obviously have nothing to worry about.
