Inactive account deletion

Inactive account deletion is where accounts get deleted after being unused, with the timeframe often being from 6 months to 5 years.

How it works

Often, companies delete or purge inactive accounts.

Why it is a problem

• In the case of email services, deletion of inactive accounts could result in major inconvenience for users who used the accounts as multiple factor authentications for important services such as banking. Inactive account deletion policies will adversely affect those who had good reasons to become inactive for a long time, such as hospitalization, prison incarceration, and being in totalitarian countries (i.e. Afghanistan) which have prolonged internet shutdowns.

Examples

• Google has deleted inactive accounts, often citing 'privacy reasons' as a reason for doing it.