Recently, Google announced it would be deleting inactive accounts older than two years old creating a wave of concern over the fate of old YouTube videos. Fear not! While the new policy will be purging inactive accounts, videos previously uploaded to YouTube via former members will still remain on the platform.
An amendment to the original post outlining the new policy states, “We do not have plans to delete accounts with YouTube videos at this time.” This is relieving news for anyone still watching video content from YouTube members who have passed away or have otherwise abandoned their accounts. YouTube’s vast content library appears safely
Starting in December 2023, Google is removing old personal accounts in an effort to increase security across its services, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar, and Photos. If you intend to keep your account, now would be a good time to set up two-factor verification and update your current passwords.
It’s important to keep passwords secure and recommended to change them about every three more or so. If you’re noticing unusual activity on any of your accounts, including your bank, change all your passwords immediately. A hacked account easily leads to identity theft, so make sure your passwords are secure and unique.
The purge begins with accounts that were opened and never used before moving on to delete more recently inactive accounts. Multiple notifications over months will be sent to primary and secondary email addresses associated with accounts on the chopping block.
Accessing just about anything linked to a specific Google account counts as activity, such as downloading an app from the Google Play Store, watching a YouTube video, or even a simple Google search.
If you have an old account and don’t want to bother with deleting it yourself, simply make sure there are no frequently used third-party apps linked to that account.