Google to delete unused accounts

Google said Tuesday that it was planning to delete accounts that had been inactive for more than two years, citing security concerns stemming from dormant accounts and their passwords.

The move was based on the notion that accounts that have not been used for an extended period of time are more likely to rely on passwords that have been compromised. Google also said the old accounts are more likely to not have two-factor authentication set up, which provides an extra layer of security for accounts.

The company added that they receive fewer security checks from users.

Google said starting later this year that it will begin deleting accounts that have not been used or signed into for two years, saying it could delete the Google account and all of its contents, including email, YouTube and Google Drive.

“Before deleting an account, we will send multiple notifications over the months leading up to deletion, to both the account email address and the recovery email (if one has been provided),” Google said in a post on its website Tuesday.

The tech giant said the earliest that it would begin phasing out accounts is December. The first accounts that will be deleted are those that were created and never used.

The decision to delete the old accounts comes as Google said it has determined that abandoned accounts were 10 times more likely to not have two-factor authentication set up than active accounts.

Google said people could keep their accounts by signing in and doing things like reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video or using Google Search.