GOOGLE has yet again warned millions that their accounts will soon be deleted if they don’t take action.
This includes Gmail, Google Photos, Google Drive and even YouTube.
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At the weekend, the tech giant sent a message to all users warning that inactive accounts will be sent to the internet graveyard before the year’s end.
According to Bleeping Computer, the message read: “We are updating the inactivity period for a Google Account to two years across all of our products and services.
“This change starts rolling today and will apply to any Google Account that’s been inactive, meaning it has not been signed into or used within a two-year period.
“An inactive account and any content in it will be eligible for deletion from December 1, 2023.”
This caution means users will lose all their emails, photos, and any memories shared across any Google Platform if they haven’t used the account within two years.
Google began warning users back in May that this would be the fate of their accounts, should they not begin using them.
And it’s clear users will be receiving plenty of reminders.
The tech giant is making sure no one thinks this change is coming out of left field.
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According to Google, “if your account is considered inactive, we will send several reminder emails to both you and your recovery emails (if any have been provided) before we take any action or delete any account content.
“These reminder emails will go out at least eight months before any action is taken on your account.”
All you need to do to stop your account from being deleted is to interact with it – be it by opening an email or watching a YouTube clip.
Whichever way, you should find it be pretty easy to save your account, if you actually need it.
The move will help keep active accounts more secure, according to Google, and stop any unauthorised access if an account is out of action.
In a blog post, Google’s Ruth Kricheli, explained: “People want the products and services they use online to be safe and secure.
“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 re-used passwords that may have been compromised, haven’t had two factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user.”
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