(3-minute read)
Here’s some news out of the tech world.
Google has announced that they’ll be deleting all inactive accounts this December. This means that if you haven’t logged into your Google account in over two years, you may lose it.
While this might sound like a dire warning, it’s not.
Google’s going to give users plenty of time to prevent their accounts from being wiped clean. Now is a great time to take advantage of the opportunity, and protect your account before the December deadline.
Let’s dig a little deeper into what’s going on, and how it’ll work.
Why is Google Deleting the Inactive Accounts?
As online security continues to be an important issue, Google has understandably taken steps to protect its users from potential threats.
Personal accounts that haven’t been active for a long time are particularly vulnerable to being hijacked. And, let’s face it, a lot of us use the same password for different accounts, which ups the odds that a hacker can exploit one inactive account to break into many more.
By deleting inactive accounts, Google protects against these exploits.
Another reason for doing this is to remove fake accounts. It’s part of Google’s goal to provide a safe and authentic online experience for its users. By eliminating fake accounts, they’re trying to stop bad actors who try to take advantage of the platform.
Who’s Getting Deleted (and Who Isn’t)
One question you may have: Which kinds of accounts are getting deleted?
This policy change only affects personal Google profiles – people who use Gmail or Google Docs, for example. It doesn’t impact business profiles, or profiles used for organizations, like schools.
Still, if your business uses personal Google accounts to integrate with third-party apps, you’ll want to check and make sure that all of those accounts have been used within the past two years.
Also, make sure that all Google profiles on your device have been used within the 2-year period, especially if you have more than one. And continue to use each of them at least once every two years to avoid deletion in the future.
Reviews Will Also Be Affected
It’s important to note that when a Gmail account is deleted, all the reviews posted by that account will be deleted as well.
This may have a noticeable impact on the number of reviews for your business.
So, if you’re wondering why your number of reviews seems to be dropping, it may be due to the fact that they’re associated with dormant Google accounts that have been removed.
How to Make Sure Your Account Doesn’t Get Deleted
It’s actually pretty easy. All you need to do is perform one simple action in order to be marked as an active user. Any act of engagement will do the trick:
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- Read or send an email from Gmail
- Use Google Drive
- Watch a YouTube video (while signed in)
- Use Google search (while signed in)
- Use “sign in with Google” to log on to third party app or service
- Share a photo
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