Starting this Friday, Dec. 1, accounts — along with their content and data — may be deleted if they have not been used within a two-year period, Google said.
The search giant is making the move in order to reduce the risk of forgotten or unattended accounts being compromised as they are often vulnerable and have fewer security checks.
"Once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identity theft to a vector for unwanted or even malicious content, like spam," the company said in its updated account policy.
Before deleting an account, Google will send notifications to both the account email address and a recovery email if one was provided, per the company.
You can keep an account active by signing in; reading or sending an email; using Google Drive; watching a YouTube video if logged in through Google; downloading an app on the Google Play Store; using Google Search; or signing in to a third-party app or service through a Google account.
