Google to start deleting inactive accounts and their associated YouTube videos

[Robokat]

Following in Imgur's recent footsteps, Google has decided that come December they will be deleting, among others, all YouTube videos of any account that hasn't been active in at least the last 2 years.

 

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To reduce this risk, we are updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to 2 years across our products. Starting later this year, if a Google Account has not been used or signed into for at least 2 years, we may delete the account and its contents – including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar), YouTube and Google Photos.

 

The other stuff may also catch your attention, but for KG itself, only YouTube is really relevant right now.

 

As with Imgur, KG has been around longer than YouTube. But suffice to say that even more than Imgur being the de facto image uploader of the last decade, YouTube has been internet video for almost the entirety of it.

 

Please consider backing up the YouTube videos you want to keep before December 2023.

[Robokat]

Update to the inactive account policies.

 

It now reads:

 

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Additionally, we do not have plans to delete accounts with YouTube videos at this time.

 

Knowing Google however (remember Stadia?) I'd still recommend backing up whatever you want to keep before this December.