Inactive account deletion: Difference between revisions

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*Many accounts and contents that were created or owned by now-deceased users are likely affected under such policies. This could mean that immense amounts of valuable or historical significant contents will be lost over time. In some jurisdictions, some companies may allow those with a durable power of attourney, or executors to access accounts. Others, such as Microsoft in the United States require executors to get a court order in order to access a decedents account.

*Ultimately, in both the short and long term, such policies will cause serious erosion of historical integrity, which is especially paramount as in the era of deepfakes, lies and misinformation are just as likely as to arise from the absence of data than the presence of it. The erosion of historical integrity could cause human societies to be vulnerable to "historical context attacks".<ref>https://www.fastcompany.com/90549441/how-to-prevent-deepfakes</ref>

*Ultimately, in both the short and long term, such policies will cause serious erosion of historical integrity, which is especially paramount as in the era of deepfakes, lies and misinformation are just as likely as to arise from the absence of data than the presence of it. The erosion of historical integrity could cause human societies to be vulnerable to "historical context attacks".<ref>https://www.fastcompany.com/90549441/how-to-prevent-deepfakes ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251127195115/https://www.fastcompany.com/90549441/how-to-prevent-deepfakes Archived])</ref>

==Examples==

*[[Discord]] has a deletion policy on inactive accounts in which accounts that are not used for 2 years or more may be scheduled to be deleted. Before the deletion of the inactive account, users may get an email or text message warning that their account is scheduled to be deleted.<ref>https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/5106714856215-Inactive-Account-Deletion</ref>

*[[Discord]] has a deletion policy on inactive accounts in which accounts that are not used for 2 years or more may be scheduled to be deleted. Before the deletion of the inactive account, users may get an email or text message warning that their account is scheduled to be deleted.<ref>https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/5106714856215-Inactive-Account-Deletion ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260210025748/https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/5106714856215-Inactive-Account-Deletion Archived])</ref>

*[[Google]] has deleted inactive accounts, often citing 'privacy reasons' as a reason for doing it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Shane |title=Google's Inactive Account Deletion policy: What You Need To Know |url=https://expertbeacon.com/googles-inactive-account-deletion-policy-what-you-need-to-know/ |access-date=29 Oct 2025 |website=Expert beacon}}</ref> The rationale has been ridiculed with some comparing it to a hypothetical scenario where a bank should be burned down if it is not secure against robbers.<ref>https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html</ref>

*[[Google]] has deleted inactive accounts, often citing 'privacy reasons' as a reason for doing it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Shane |title=Google's Inactive Account Deletion policy: What You Need To Know |url=https://expertbeacon.com/googles-inactive-account-deletion-policy-what-you-need-to-know/ |access-date=29 Oct 2025 |website=Expert beacon}}</ref> The rationale has been ridiculed with some comparing it to a hypothetical scenario where a bank should be burned down if it is not secure against robbers.<ref>https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250831223936/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html Archived])</ref>

*[[Microsoft]] has a deletion policy on inactive accounts in which accounts that are not used for 2 years or more may be scheduled to be deleted. Any account that has been locked for more than two years will also be considered "inactive" and will be closed. Before the deletion of the inactive account, users may get an email or text message warning that their account is scheduled to be deleted.<ref>https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/microsoft-account-activity-policy-7c0a9fa7-0982-b7c6-fd72-df852b63699f</ref>

*[[Microsoft]] has a deletion policy on inactive accounts in which accounts that are not used for 2 years or more may be scheduled to be deleted. Any account that has been locked for more than two years will also be considered "inactive" and will be closed. Before the deletion of the inactive account, users may get an email or text message warning that their account is scheduled to be deleted.<ref>https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/microsoft-account-activity-policy-7c0a9fa7-0982-b7c6-fd72-df852b63699f ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260210005823/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/microsoft-account-activity-policy-7c0a9fa7-0982-b7c6-fd72-df852b63699f Archived])</ref>

*[[Protonmail]] announced a policy in 2022 which entails the deletion of inactive accounts, resulting in a major controversy where many users voice their concerns on the decision.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/u3ejjp/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/u3g406/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/</ref> In response to these concerns, Protonmail added an exemption where the inactive account policy would not apply to any accounts which had premium subscriptions at one point, although the exemption was revoked as of 2024. Protonmail accounts that were created before April 9, 2024 has a two year grace period before being subjected to the policy, as opposed to one year for newer accounts.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/uca15y/update_to_our_inactive_account_policy/</ref><ref>https://www.ghacks.net/2022/04/27/protonmail-will-not-delete-inactive-user-accounts-for-former-premium-subscribers/</ref><ref>https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts</ref> In some cases users have reported success in recovering their inactive accounts after being locked under the policy.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1i7gbd7/account_is_no_longer_available_due_to_inactivity/</ref> As of 2025 many users continue to voice their concerns regarding the inactive account policy, while advocating for sensible measures such as deleting only the contents in the inactive accounts while sparing the accounts themselves.<ref>https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/945460-general-ideas/suggestions/48235556-inactive-account-policy-keep-account-when-deleti</ref><ref>https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts</ref>

*[[Protonmail]] announced a policy in 2022 which entails the deletion of inactive accounts, resulting in a major controversy where many users voice their concerns on the decision.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/u3ejjp/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20241218103805/https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/u3ejjp/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/u3g406/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20221016093816/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/u3g406/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/ Archived])</ref> In response to these concerns, Protonmail added an exemption where the inactive account policy would not apply to any accounts which had premium subscriptions at one point, although the exemption was revoked as of 2024. Protonmail accounts that were created before April 9, 2024 has a two year grace period before being subjected to the policy, as opposed to one year for newer accounts.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/uca15y/update_to_our_inactive_account_policy/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250402195858/https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/uca15y/update_to_our_inactive_account_policy/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://www.ghacks.net/2022/04/27/protonmail-will-not-delete-inactive-user-accounts-for-former-premium-subscribers/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250316094922/https://www.ghacks.net/2022/04/27/protonmail-will-not-delete-inactive-user-accounts-for-former-premium-subscribers/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260119013218/https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts Archived])</ref> In some cases users have reported success in recovering their inactive accounts after being locked under the policy.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1i7gbd7/account_is_no_longer_available_due_to_inactivity/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260222223819/https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1i7gbd7/account_is_no_longer_available_due_to_inactivity/ Archived])</ref> As of 2025 many users continue to voice their concerns regarding the inactive account policy, while advocating for sensible measures such as deleting only the contents in the inactive accounts while sparing the accounts themselves.<ref>https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/945460-general-ideas/suggestions/48235556-inactive-account-policy-keep-account-when-deleti</ref><ref>https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260119013218/https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts Archived])</ref>

*Trello, which is owned by Atlassian, has a "Dormant Trello account policy" which said that accounts that are not logged in for more than two years could be subjected to deletions.<ref>https://support.atlassian.com/trello/docs/dormant-trello-account-policy/</ref>

*Trello, which is owned by Atlassian, has a "Dormant Trello account policy" which said that accounts that are not logged in for more than two years could be subjected to deletions.<ref>https://support.atlassian.com/trello/docs/dormant-trello-account-policy/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260126175853/https://support.atlassian.com/trello/docs/dormant-trello-account-policy/ Archived])</ref>

*Tutanota, an email service based in Germany, deletes inactive free accounts after six months of inactivity, although unlike Protonmail, they explicitly allow the possibility of username revival and recovery provided that the user has the correct credentials and creates a paid email account where the revived username would be used as an alias.<ref>https://tuta.com/support/security</ref>

*Tutanota, an email service based in Germany, deletes inactive free accounts after six months of inactivity, although unlike Protonmail, they explicitly allow the possibility of username revival and recovery provided that the user has the correct credentials and creates a paid email account where the revived username would be used as an alias.<ref>https://tuta.com/support/security ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260130172956/https://tuta.com/support/security Archived])</ref>

*[[Twitch]] had implemented deletions of accounts that are not logged in for long periods while reclaiming their usernames in 2017 at least once.<ref>https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2017/01/06/username-rename-recycling-policy-update-882431cb966b/</ref>

*[[X Corp|X]], formerly known as Twitter, had in 2023 announced its intentions to delete inactive accounts, although following public backlash it had retracted the decision, saying that inactive accounts would be archived instead while their handles would be freed. Despite the retraction, there are at least one anecdotal reports which alleged X had deleted suspended accounts that are not logged in for a long time.<ref>https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-remove-inactive-accounts-2023-05-08/</ref><ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014</ref><ref>https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/</ref>

*[[X Corp|X]], formerly known as Twitter, had in 2023 announced its intentions to delete inactive accounts, although following public backlash it had retracted the decision, saying that inactive accounts would be archived instead while their handles would be freed. Despite the retraction, there are at least one anecdotal reports which alleged X had deleted suspended accounts that are not logged in for a long time.<ref>https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-remove-inactive-accounts-2023-05-08/</ref><ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014 ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250621004808/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014 Archived])</ref><ref>https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260125105022/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260111213116/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/ Archived])</ref>

==References==

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 *Many accounts and contents that were created or owned by now-deceased users are likely affected under such policies. This could mean that immense amounts of valuable or historical significant contents will be lost over time.  In some jurisdictions, some companies may allow those with a durable power of attourney, or executors to access accounts.  Others, such as Microsoft in the United States require executors to get a court order in order to access a decedents account.
-*Ultimately, in both the short and long term, such policies will cause serious erosion of historical integrity, which is especially paramount as in the era of deepfakes, lies and misinformation are just as likely as to arise from the absence of data than the presence of it. The erosion of historical integrity could cause human societies to be vulnerable to "historical context attacks".<ref>https://www.fastcompany.com/90549441/how-to-prevent-deepfakes</ref>
+*Ultimately, in both the short and long term, such policies will cause serious erosion of historical integrity, which is especially paramount as in the era of deepfakes, lies and misinformation are just as likely as to arise from the absence of data than the presence of it. The erosion of historical integrity could cause human societies to be vulnerable to "historical context attacks".<ref>https://www.fastcompany.com/90549441/how-to-prevent-deepfakes ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251127195115/https://www.fastcompany.com/90549441/how-to-prevent-deepfakes Archived])</ref>
 ==Examples==
-*[[Discord]] has a deletion policy on inactive accounts in which accounts that are not used for 2 years or more may be scheduled to be deleted. Before the deletion of the inactive account, users may get an email or text message warning that their account is scheduled to be deleted.<ref>https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/5106714856215-Inactive-Account-Deletion</ref>
+*[[Discord]] has a deletion policy on inactive accounts in which accounts that are not used for 2 years or more may be scheduled to be deleted. Before the deletion of the inactive account, users may get an email or text message warning that their account is scheduled to be deleted.<ref>https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/5106714856215-Inactive-Account-Deletion ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260210025748/https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/5106714856215-Inactive-Account-Deletion Archived])</ref>
-*[[Google]] has deleted inactive accounts, often citing 'privacy reasons' as a reason for doing it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Shane |title=Google's Inactive Account Deletion policy: What You Need To Know |url=https://expertbeacon.com/googles-inactive-account-deletion-policy-what-you-need-to-know/ |access-date=29 Oct 2025 |website=Expert beacon}}</ref> The rationale has been ridiculed with some comparing it to a hypothetical scenario where a bank should be burned down if it is not secure against robbers.<ref>https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html</ref>
+*[[Google]] has deleted inactive accounts, often citing 'privacy reasons' as a reason for doing it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Shane |title=Google's Inactive Account Deletion policy: What You Need To Know |url=https://expertbeacon.com/googles-inactive-account-deletion-policy-what-you-need-to-know/ |access-date=29 Oct 2025 |website=Expert beacon}}</ref> The rationale has been ridiculed with some comparing it to a hypothetical scenario where a bank should be burned down if it is not secure against robbers.<ref>https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250831223936/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html Archived])</ref>
-*[[Microsoft]] has a deletion policy on inactive accounts in which accounts that are not used for 2 years or more may be scheduled to be deleted. Any account that has been locked for more than two years will also be considered "inactive" and will be closed. Before the deletion of the inactive account, users may get an email or text message warning that their account is scheduled to be deleted.<ref>https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/microsoft-account-activity-policy-7c0a9fa7-0982-b7c6-fd72-df852b63699f</ref>
+*[[Microsoft]] has a deletion policy on inactive accounts in which accounts that are not used for 2 years or more may be scheduled to be deleted. Any account that has been locked for more than two years will also be considered "inactive" and will be closed. Before the deletion of the inactive account, users may get an email or text message warning that their account is scheduled to be deleted.<ref>https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/microsoft-account-activity-policy-7c0a9fa7-0982-b7c6-fd72-df852b63699f ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260210005823/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/microsoft-account-activity-policy-7c0a9fa7-0982-b7c6-fd72-df852b63699f Archived])</ref>
-*[[Protonmail]] announced a policy in 2022 which entails the deletion of inactive accounts, resulting in a major controversy where many users voice their concerns on the decision.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/u3ejjp/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/u3g406/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/</ref> In response to these concerns, Protonmail added an exemption where the inactive account policy would not apply to any accounts which had premium subscriptions at one point, although the exemption was revoked as of 2024. Protonmail accounts that were created before April 9, 2024 has a two year grace period before being subjected to the policy, as opposed to one year for newer accounts.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/uca15y/update_to_our_inactive_account_policy/</ref><ref>https://www.ghacks.net/2022/04/27/protonmail-will-not-delete-inactive-user-accounts-for-former-premium-subscribers/</ref><ref>https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts</ref> In some cases users have reported success in recovering their inactive accounts after being locked under the policy.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1i7gbd7/account_is_no_longer_available_due_to_inactivity/</ref> As of 2025 many users continue to voice their concerns regarding the inactive account policy, while advocating for sensible measures such as deleting only the contents in the inactive accounts while sparing the accounts themselves.<ref>https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/945460-general-ideas/suggestions/48235556-inactive-account-policy-keep-account-when-deleti</ref><ref>https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts</ref>
+*[[Protonmail]] announced a policy in 2022 which entails the deletion of inactive accounts, resulting in a major controversy where many users voice their concerns on the decision.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/u3ejjp/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20241218103805/https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/u3ejjp/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/u3g406/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20221016093816/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/u3g406/protonmails_dormant_policy_is_now_in_effect/ Archived])</ref> In response to these concerns, Protonmail added an exemption where the inactive account policy would not apply to any accounts which had premium subscriptions at one point, although the exemption was revoked as of 2024. Protonmail accounts that were created before April 9, 2024 has a two year grace period before being subjected to the policy, as opposed to one year for newer accounts.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/uca15y/update_to_our_inactive_account_policy/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250402195858/https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/uca15y/update_to_our_inactive_account_policy/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://www.ghacks.net/2022/04/27/protonmail-will-not-delete-inactive-user-accounts-for-former-premium-subscribers/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250316094922/https://www.ghacks.net/2022/04/27/protonmail-will-not-delete-inactive-user-accounts-for-former-premium-subscribers/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260119013218/https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts Archived])</ref> In some cases users have reported success in recovering their inactive accounts after being locked under the policy.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1i7gbd7/account_is_no_longer_available_due_to_inactivity/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260222223819/https://old.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1i7gbd7/account_is_no_longer_available_due_to_inactivity/ Archived])</ref> As of 2025 many users continue to voice their concerns regarding the inactive account policy, while advocating for sensible measures such as deleting only the contents in the inactive accounts while sparing the accounts themselves.<ref>https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/945460-general-ideas/suggestions/48235556-inactive-account-policy-keep-account-when-deleti</ref><ref>https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260119013218/https://proton.me/support/inactive-accounts Archived])</ref>
-*Trello, which is owned by Atlassian, has a "Dormant Trello account policy" which said that accounts that are not logged in for more than two years could be subjected to deletions.<ref>https://support.atlassian.com/trello/docs/dormant-trello-account-policy/</ref>
+*Trello, which is owned by Atlassian, has a "Dormant Trello account policy" which said that accounts that are not logged in for more than two years could be subjected to deletions.<ref>https://support.atlassian.com/trello/docs/dormant-trello-account-policy/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260126175853/https://support.atlassian.com/trello/docs/dormant-trello-account-policy/ Archived])</ref>
-*Tutanota, an email service based in Germany, deletes inactive free accounts after six months of inactivity, although unlike Protonmail, they explicitly allow the possibility of username revival and recovery provided that the user has the correct credentials and creates a paid email account where the revived username would be used as an alias.<ref>https://tuta.com/support/security</ref>
+*Tutanota, an email service based in Germany, deletes inactive free accounts after six months of inactivity, although unlike Protonmail, they explicitly allow the possibility of username revival and recovery provided that the user has the correct credentials and creates a paid email account where the revived username would be used as an alias.<ref>https://tuta.com/support/security ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260130172956/https://tuta.com/support/security Archived])</ref>
 *[[Twitch]] had implemented deletions of accounts that are not logged in for long periods while reclaiming their usernames in 2017 at least once.<ref>https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2017/01/06/username-rename-recycling-policy-update-882431cb966b/</ref>
-*[[X Corp|X]], formerly known as Twitter, had in 2023 announced its intentions to delete inactive accounts, although following public backlash it had retracted the decision, saying that inactive accounts would be archived instead while their handles would be freed. Despite the retraction, there are at least one anecdotal reports which alleged X had deleted suspended accounts that are not logged in for a long time.<ref>https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-remove-inactive-accounts-2023-05-08/</ref><ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014</ref><ref>https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/</ref>
+*[[X Corp|X]], formerly known as Twitter, had in 2023 announced its intentions to delete inactive accounts, although following public backlash it had retracted the decision, saying that inactive accounts would be archived instead while their handles would be freed. Despite the retraction, there are at least one anecdotal reports which alleged X had deleted suspended accounts that are not logged in for a long time.<ref>https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-remove-inactive-accounts-2023-05-08/</ref><ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014 ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250621004808/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65533014 Archived])</ref><ref>https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260125105022/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/twitter-is-purging-inactive-accounts-including-people-who-have-died-angering-those-still-grieving Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260111213116/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1db1sru/twitter_is_silently_deleting_some_suspended/ Archived])</ref>
 ==References==