It has not escaped anyone’s notice that in recent weeks Google has been implementing changes to various policies and terms of service.

Some changes we have already experienced include, for example, the auto-deletion of trashed files in Google Drive.

Users with active accounts in the main products that require storage space have received an email from the company, in which Google announces new policies that will come into effect in June 2021.

The policies affect Google Photos, Gmail, and Google Drive products, provided that users have exceeded their storage quotas, and in products where they are inactive.

Key updates.

• If the account is inactive for 2 years on any of the platforms, Google reserves the right to delete content from products where the user has no activity. This new policy for inactive accounts will not affect Google One members who do not exceed their storage quota.
• If the user exceeds the storage limit for 2 years, Google may delete the content stored in Gmail, Drive, and Photos.
• Before proceeding with content deletion, Google will notify you and help you maintain your information:
  • Alerts via email and notifications within the applications.
  • They will provide the opportunity to keep your content by purchasing more storage or by giving you the chance to delete files.
  • You will be able to download all your files stored in Google services.

How do these changes affect you?

• If you do not exceed the storage limit or if you have not been inactive for 2 years, these changes will not affect your products or your content.
• As of June 2021, if you exceed the set storage limit or if you have been inactive for the last 2 years, the company reserves the right to delete the content. However, it will notify you beforehand. Stay alert if you have more than one Google account that you do not use regularly!
• Even if content is deleted, the user will still be able to access their account as usual.
• Workspace, G Suite for Education, and G Suite for Nonprofits accounts are not subject to these policies at this time.

If you have questions about how these changes will affect you, please consult their support service.

If you believe you need to protect your devices, or suspect that third parties may be accessing your files, contact us. At onBRANDING, we can assist you with cybersecurity, cyber protection, digital identity defense, and data privacy.