Watch out, Google might delete your old Gmail account if you aren’t careful

A man and woman delete emails on a large phone and throwing them in a bin

Following in the wake of Elon Musk’s announcement that Twitter will start purging inactive accounts, Google has said that it will be doing the same for old Gmail accounts. Thankfully, however, it’s much clearer about which accounts will be classified as inactive, and when account deletions will begin.

In a post on its Keyword blog, Google explains that its main reason for deleting inactive accounts is that the move should help keep users safer from hijacking and scams. Based on its internal analysis, Google says that abandoned accounts are over 10 times less likely to have 2-step verification set up compared with active accounts. The move will also mean that Google isn’t unnecessarily retaining personal data.