Google To Delete Old Gmail And YouTube Accounts Not Used In Two Years

[Marc_LFD]

Makes sense, 15 Gb per account when there's a few thousand unused accounts equals a pretty big number

My GD has 17GB, but even so I don't like using Google's cloud service. MEGA is my go-to option.

I wish I could get rid of Google services/accounts except for the fact I need it for my Android and YouTube (NewPipe is a great alternative although it obviously doesn't allow to post comments).

 

[ViviVoid]

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure! It's about the space!

Post automatically merged: May 17, 2023

You realize that this will affect lots of great YouTube channels (especially for gaming) that haven't made new uploads for more than two years but still have great material ,right? And since YouTube's double standards isn't a thing, I bet this new policy will also affect YouTube's approved channels (and yes, I'm sarcastic).

Time to start backing up content you enjoy unfortunately. I've got a couple playthroughs by inactive creators I watch every year or so when I need comfort media, might genuinely just go back them up today in case I forget.

To add to this, I think it's kinda annoying, but probably a smart move. According to the article this is for security reasons (as well as probably saving on server space/costs) and as someone with some interest in cybersecurity this is something I can genuinely believe.

 

[Marc_LFD]

Time to start backing up content you enjoy unfortunately. I've got a couple playthroughs by inactive creators I watch every year or so when I need comfort media, might genuinely just go back them up today in case I forget.

To add to this, I think it's kinda annoying, but probably a smart move. According to the article this is for security reasons (as well as probably saving on server space/costs) and as someone with some interest in cybersecurity this is something I can genuinely believe.

YouTube-DL and IDM are two ways of downloading videos, there's now a newer one better than YTDL (just downloads faster, I think) so you got plenty of options.

Don't use online YT downloaders as the quality from those are probably rough by comparison.

 

[CameronCataclysm]

Eh... What is the possibility of deleting the wrong accounts? Also, isn't two years too short?

My thoughts EXACTLY. 2 years is a small threshold. So much so it's a bit unnerving.

 

[Marc_LFD]

My thoughts EXACTLY. 2 years is a small threshold. So much so it's a bit unnerving.

Two years is short? That's more than plenty of time to log in to an account and keep it active.

If it were 6 months or 12 months, I'd agree, but two years is more than enough. If people can't be bothered to activate within two years, it's their fucking fault. Probably the same who can't manage their finances.

 

[Foxi4]

You absolutely do not want to keep dormant accounts on your service - they’re the perfect cover for scammers, and have a high likelyhood of not being protected in any significant fashion, thus are susceptible to hacking attempts. If you haven’t used your account in that long, you don’t need it.

 

[Marc_LFD]

You absolutely do not want to keep dormant accounts on your service - they’re the perfect cover for scammers, and have a high likelyhood of not being protected in any significant fashion, thus are susceptible to hacking attempts. If you haven’t used your account in that long, you don’t need it.

Plus, if the person forgets the password then he/she needs to recover it with very specific info and/or a phone number.

It's just illogical to let it stay dormant for so long especially in this day and age where scammers are even more eager to cause trouble.

 

[ViviVoid]

YouTube-DL and IDM are two ways of downloading videos, there's now a newer one better than YTDL (just downloads faster, I think) so you got plenty of options.

Don't use online YT downloaders as the quality from those are probably rough by comparison.

I use Jdownloader2, works faster than any of the dedicated downloaders in my experience, and it lets you grab subtitle files and other useful functions in bulk.

 

[EpikJimmer]

Well, thank GOD I use all my 7 accounts frequently or else idk what I would do.

 

[Marc_LFD]

Just received this email regarding their Google Account Inactive Policy so it confirms it:

Every day Google works hard to keep you and your private information safe and secure by preventing unauthorized access to your Google Account with our built-in security protections. And keeping you safe means having strong privacy practices across our products that minimize how long we store your personal files and any data associated with them. We want to protect your private information and prevent any unauthorized access to your account even if you’re no longer using our services.

Therefore, we are updating the inactivity period for a Google Account to two years across all our products and services. This change starts rolling out 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.

What this means for you:

These changes do not impact you unless you have been inactive in your Google Account for two years or have not used your account to sign in to any Google service for over two years.
While the changes go into effect today, the earliest we would enforce any account deletion would be December 2023.
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 8 months before any action is taken on your account.
After a Google Account is deleted, the Gmail address for the deleted account cannot be used again when creating a new Google Account.
How to keep your account active?

The simplest way to keep a Google Account active is to sign in to the account at least once every two years. If you have signed in to your Google Account recently in the past two years, your account is considered active and will not be deleted.

Other ways to keep your account active include:

• Reading or sending an email
• Using Google Drive
• Watching a YouTube video
• Sharing a photo
• Downloading an app
• Using Google Search
• Using Sign in with Google to sign in to a third-party app or service
• There are some exceptions to this policy. Examples include: a Google Account with YouTube channels, videos or comments; an account that has a gift card with a monetary balance; or an account that has a published application, for example, one that hosts an app on the Google Play store. Other exceptions to this policy are available here.

Google also offers tools to help manage your Google Account and provide options to back up your data, including the ability to download your data using Google Takeout, and allowing you to plan for what happens to your data if you’re inactive for a specific period of time with the Inactive Account Manager.

Our priority is to make it as easy as possible for you to keep your account active, if you want to, and we’ll ensure you have adequate notice before any account is impacted by this change. So before an account is deleted, Google will send email notifications to the Google Account and its recovery email (if one has been provided). You should verify that your recovery email is up to date.

Learn more

• Inactive Google Account Policy
• How Google retains data we collect
• Updating our inactive account policies (only available in English)

Thank you,
The Google Account team

Good news, imo. If people have an account they haven't used within 1-2 years and they care about it, just log in to it and back up the content (if there is any).

I made several accounts so this way they'll get deleted automatically. Amazon should do the same.

Edit: Why don't I delete them myself? I didn't properly save the email log in and its passwords so it all got lost (nothing of value was lost).