Google deleting all recently inactive accounts without phone number

26 points by superkuh 5 hours ago | 17 comments

Google is now deleting all accounts that do not, and have never had, phone numbers associated with them if they haven't logged in within a year or so.

"Urgent: Sign in to your Google Account if you want to keep it"

But then it doesn't matter if you log in with the correct username and password and receive the PIN via your email. This is isn't enough. Unless a phone number is somehow added to the account one gets,

"You can’t recover your account at this time because Google doesn’t have enough info to be sure this account is yours."

This is despite having all information ever associated with the account. Unless that account has a phone number it will be deleted. This is a very shady dark pattern by Alphabet corporation.

pwg 4 hours ago |

> This is a very shady dark pattern by Alphabet corporation.

Advertising company (Doubleclick [1]) wants phone numbers to better target ads. No surprise there.

[1] The company currently calling itself Google is not the same Google as yesteryear. In 2008 Google purchased Doubleclick, and what happened is that the advertising rot from Doubleclick ate Google from the inside out. What we have now calling itself Google is actually all the evil that was Doubleclick, only calling itself Google. That's why the Google motto no longer includes "Don't be evil".

gdulli 2 hours ago |

Steam gave me similar problems. In the process of trying to get in for the first time in a while to delete my account, I completed a successful 2FA but still couldn't log in because I had to prove I owned the account by providing extra information.

We've fallen so far from the days when the retailer let you just have the game you bought and then they were out of the picture forever.

Cider9986 54 minutes ago |

There's no reason to use Google over ProtonMail or Tuta Mail if you care about user experience. Google's customer support is non-existent, while Proton and Tuta will get you a real human for any problems and are accountable.

mixmastamyk 1 hour ago |

Yes, I’ve lost access to two old accounts including my old blogger one. When I try to log in it sends email saying, “someone tried to log in with your password!” :-/

Centrino 5 hours ago |

I've often read that 2FA should be through an authenticator app or a physical key, not via texting a code to a phone number. Malicious sim swapping is a thing, so purposely deleting any phone number from an account should be good practice, right?

So will they also delete inactive accounts that have no phone number, but one or more phone-less 2FA methods associated?

remslave 4 hours ago | |

They default to authing you via a sms code usually still, even when you have an authenticator paired

PaulHoule 4 hours ago |

It's phonishness. Your life isn't real unless you have a smartphone -- at least that's the way "the empire" sees it.

andsoitis 4 hours ago |

if you haven't cared about using an account for a year, why do you want to use it all of a sudden now?

soraminazuki 3 hours ago | |

The next aspiring trillionaire can take note of that argument when scamming people out of their retirement funds.

andsoitis 1 hour ago | | |

Why would one not provide one’s phone number to a financial institution where you hold your retirement or other investment funds?

superkuh 3 hours ago | |

If you haven't used your $whatever in a year, why do you want to use it now? Replace $whatever with whatever you want and you'll see how absurd this question is.

andsoitis 1 hour ago | | |

I really don’t think it absurd. What’s an example where a Google account is important to you but you haven’t used it in a year?

dpark 53 minutes ago | | |

“If you haven't used your dirty tissue in a year, why do you want to use it now?”

“If you haven't used your ham sandwich in a year, why do you want to use it now?”

“If you haven't used your receipt in a year, why do you want to use it now?”

Ah, yes. I see what you mean. Truly absurd.

nullc 57 minutes ago |

Not providing your phone number is a critical step in protecting yourself against sim swap attacks and other vulnerabilities.