In a recent move, Google has reached out to its extensive user base via email, informing them about an important change in its account inactivity policy. The tech giant is implementing an update that extends the inactivity period for a Google Account across all its products and services to two years.
Starting immediately, this modification will affect Google Accounts that have not been used or signed into for a continuous two-year span. Any account falling under this inactivity criterion will be deemed eligible for potential deletion starting from December 1, 2023.
However, it's crucial to note that this alteration will only affect users who have been inactive in their Google Accounts for the specified duration or haven't used their accounts to log into any Google services for over two years.
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The company mentioned that despite the change taking effect now, the earliest enforcement of account deletion will be from December 2023 onwards. If an account is deemed inactive, Google will initiate a series of reminder emails to the account holders as well as their designated recovery email addresses, if any are provided. These notifications will be dispatched at least 8 months prior to any account action or content deletion.
Importantly, the platform clarifies that once a Google Account is deleted, the associated Gmail address cannot be used again while creating a new Google Account.
To maintain an active status for a Google Account, users are advised to simply sign in to their accounts at least once every two years. For those who have accessed their Google Accounts within the past two years, their accounts are considered active and will not be subject to deletion.
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Furthermore, the company has recently introduced the Dark Web Report feature exclusively for its Google One subscribers in India. The aim of this feature is to assist users in keeping track of their personal information on the dark web. The dark web is notorious for being used by hackers and criminals to conduct illegal activities like trading sensitive personal data.