Inactive Google Accounts Will Be Deleted Starting December 1

Google said the account deletion will take place from December 1. The company announced this policy to users in May.

Accounts that were created but never accessed again are removed from the system first. Next are accounts that have not been opened for at least two years. Google services associated with the account, such as Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Photos, are also deleted.

There are some exceptions, however. For example, old accounts with active YouTube channels, accounts with Google gift card balances, or accounts that are used to purchase books, movies, and services on Google Play will be retained.

According to Google, the move is aimed at preventing security risks, as accounts that have been inactive for a long time often do not have updated passwords or additional protections such as two-step verification (2FA). Accounts that have been inactive for a long time are 10 times less likely to set up 2FA than active accounts. Owners also do not change their passwords regularly, leading to the risk of bad guys stealing their accounts for malicious purposes such as spreading malicious information.

"We want to protect people's personal information and prevent unauthorized access to their accounts even when they no longer use our services," Google said.

Oren Koren, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Veriti, said this is an important step in ensuring user security. Old accounts always pose risks, such as storing data that is no longer valuable to users but still useful to hackers. "By proactively deleting them, Google effectively narrows the attack surface for cybercriminals," Koren toldCNBC.

But some other experts disagree. "Imagine someone coming out of a coma and realizing their life has been turned upside down again because their Google account has been deleted," computer expert Chris Beiser wrote on X. According to this person, losing a Google account can affect a series of other accounts, such as bank accounts, chats, contacts.

Business InsiderIt is believed that losing your Gmail account could mean losing information stored in Workspace, Photos, or YouTube. In addition, much of the information in emails may still be valuable, even if users rarely open them.

Experts recommend that if you still want to keep your Google account, you should log in to avoid being deleted this weekend.