Google’s announced update of its policy to remove accounts that have been inactive for two years has already sparked concern in the online community, which fears for content security. Inactive accounts contain millions of videos uploaded to YouTube by deceased or retired content creators. According to some reports, video hosting will continue to refrain from removing such materials.
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A recent post on the Google blog specifically noted that an account can be deleted if it has not been used for two or more years, including the deletion of materials from Google Workspace (documents, emails, calendar data, etc.) . . .), data from YouTube and Google Photos. In other words, theoretically, many of the first videos uploaded to the hosting, materials from the official accounts of former heads of state, and other content created and published by people who are now deceased or retired from YouTube could well be deleted .
However, more information has surfaced. According to Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s official contact for content creators, Google has done so “No plans to remove accounts from YouTube videos”. In addition, the 9to5Google portal confirms the information, citing one of the Google representatives.
Image Credit: René Ritchie
While the news is good for both creators and consumers of retro content, the information contradicts the official statement on the Google blog. Whether people can keep a Google account forever by uploading a single video to it has not yet been officially commented on. The company itself may not have made a final decision yet.
One way or another, the company really isn’t keen on removing old content from YouTube, which includes millions of cult videos broken down into quotes and memes, not to mention the fact that ads appear in many popular videos both YouTube and the authors still make money from the materials. This does not include reputation and other costs for the company.
As you know, the new policy will not come into effect until December 2023, giving Google plenty of time to make the necessary changes.
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