Google has already confirmed that it will begin deleting (or perhaps purging) certain personal Google accounts starting December 1st. This purge includes almost any content you can think of, including Gmail messages, Google Photos library, Google Calendar, and more. Events and Google Docs archives are all affected.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the December deadline.
The countdown clock for Google content removal is ticking
Even if the news of this move to delete inactive Google accounts came as a complete surprise to you, you can’t put the blame on Google. Back in July, Google sent out an email warning that deletion of these accounts would begin in December. These emails stated that accounts deemed inactive would receive “several reminder emails” before any action was taken. You might think you’ve found a flaw in the logic here, since emails to accounts that aren’t currently active won’t be read, but Google has you covered. A notification email will also be sent to the recovery email address on record. The first accounts targeted in December will be those that have been created but have never been used.
Are your Gmail and photos at risk?
With over 1.8 billion Gmail users and rising to 2 billion as far as Google Photos users are concerned, is your account among the unidentified number affected? The good news is, statistically speaking, That means it’s unlikely. Google said the deletion was done for security reasons and only applies to inactive personal accounts. Specifically, he’s a user who hasn’t signed into his Google account in at least two years. When you use Gmail to read or send emails, save something to Google Drive, download apps from the Google Play Store, add photos to Google Photos, or sign in to your Google Account If you run a Google search or something like that, you’ll lose valuable content. It’s safe. Google Business Accounts are not affected.
Inactive accounts are waiting for a breach to occur
Ruth Critchelli, Google’s vice president of product management, went on the record in May to explain: Inactive account policy updates. “If an account has not been used for a long period of time, it is more likely to be compromised,” Critchelli said. This is because accounts that remain inactive for long periods of time are not subject to regular security checks, are more likely to not have two-factor authentication enabled, and may use insecure passwords. is. “Our internal analysis shows that abandoned accounts are at least 10 times less likely to have two-step verification set up than active accounts,” Critchelli said. Statistically, these dormant accounts are more vulnerable than other accounts, increasing the risk of a breach. A compromised Google account is like winning the lottery for attackers, who can use it to reset account passwords, steal personal information, or serve as a launching pad for malicious activity in general. Provides access to email messages and documents.
What you need to do to protect your Gmail and Google Photos content from deletion
As we reported in July, most people don’t need to do anything to protect their Gmail account, Google Photos content, or anything else linked to their Google Account. If you only have one Google Account and have logged into it in some way in the past two years, you’re safe. Meanwhile, if you have multiple accounts, check and sign in now. Doing this at least once every 24 months will keep your account and the content behind it from being deleted as well. If you can’t remember your account details, all is not lost.use Google account recovery process A recovery email or phone number is required. If you use a known address and number, you’ll probably be fine. You will receive a verification code via email or SMS. After that, if you try to log in with the wrong password, you will have the opportunity to reset your password via the Forgot Password route. The code will be sent to you again for verification.
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