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Your inactive Google account may be deleted this week – here’s how to stop it
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The time is nigh. That inactive Google account you probably set up for a spare email to get another free trial of a streaming service, could be among those culled this week.
Back in May, Googleannounced it was deleting personal accountsthat had been inactive for at least two years, starting with those that been set up and not used again.
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That would mean any content associated with the account, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar, and Google Photos would also disappear into the either.
Google said the process would begin in December 2023 – at the earliest. Although the deletion process will be phased, December begins on Friday. That means there’s still time to rescue things.
First off, if your account is among those set for the chop, you should know about it by now. Google will have been bending your ear about it via the recovery email address you set up.
If you haven’t heard and still want to protect the account, there are a few ways to do so. Google recommends signing in at least once every two years. Not so hard, is it? While you’re signed in, it’ll help to show it’s active too. That can include:
This should ensure any data you wish to protect will survive the deletion. If you’re actually happy for the account and the data associated with it – hey, one less thing to worry about being hacked, right? – then you can allow the process to run its natural course. Or you can be proactive anddelete your Google account.
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Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He’s based in South Florida, USA. …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
