Hey there, digital citizens! Brace yourselves because Google’s playing the cleanup game, and if you’ve got an abandoned account, it might be on the chopping block. In a May 2023 announcement, Ruth Kricheli, the VP for Product Management, declared that Google’s hitting the delete button on unused accounts starting December 2023 – that’s just around the corner.
Why the digital spring cleaning, you ask? Well, it’s Google’s way of tightening the cyber-security screws. The move aims to fend off spam, phishing scams, and the nightmares of account hijacking. You know, the kind of stuff that keeps tech folks up at night. The logic here is simple – inactive accounts are like open doors for cyber baddies. Google’s always rolling out security updates, including the superhero two-factor authentication (2FA), but here’s the kicker – those dusty accounts are 10 times less likely to have 2FA set up.