Technology — Why Google may delete your old account

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View Online Technology Technology The Big Story  Why Google is deleting 'inactive' accounts Google will begin a process to shut down accounts that have been inactive for two years as early as this week.  © AP Photo/Patrick Semansky The update follows an announcement Google made in May, updating its policy in an effort to make Google accounts more safe and secure.     Google said the update will be rolled out "slowly and carefully, with plenty of notice." Users will receive multiple notifications, including a backup email if one has been set up, according to the company's announcement.     In the May blog post, Google's vice president of product management Ruth Kricheli, said the goal of the update is to limit accounts from being compromised.     Google's internal analysis showed that "abandoned accounts are" are at least 10 times less likely than active accounts to have 2-step verification set up, according to the blog post.   The accounts also often use "old or re-used" passwords that may have been compromised making them more vulnerable.     In order to keep an account active, users can sign in at least once every two years to comply with the new policy.     While signed in, users can take a wide range of actions to keep their accounts active. Reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, using Google search or watching a video on Google-owned YouTube is enough to keep an account active.   Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.  Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter, we're Rebecca Klar and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: US, other nations unveil deal to keep AI safe from rogue actors The United States, along with 17 other countries, unveiled an international agreement that aims to keep artificial intelligence (AI) systems safe from rogue actors and urges providers to follow “secure by design principles.” The 20-page document, jointly published Sunday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the United Kingdom’s National Security …  Full Story Elon Musk does damage control with trip to Israel Elon Musk is seeking to do damage control amid an advertising pullout over antisemitic remarks he made on X, the troubled social media platform once known as Twitter that the billionaire took over last year.   Musk on Monday took a tour of an Israeli kibbutz attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his guide.   The Israeli government published photos of Musk's visit, …  Full Story Paris mayor calls X a 'global sewer' The mayor of Paris says she is quitting X, formerly Twitter, arguing the social media platform has “become a gigantic global sewer” that counters democracy and peaceful debate. In a lengthy post titled “Why I am leaving Twitter” on Monday, Anne Hidalgo said it has “become an impressive tool for destroying our democracies.” “Today, controversy, rumor and crude manipulation rule public …  Full Story On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The Senate will hold its seventh AI Insight Forum, focused on transparency, explainability, intellectual property and copyright, on Wednesday from 2 to 5 p.m. ET.  In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Paris mayor says she's quitting Elon Musk's 'global sewer' platform X as city gears up for Olympics PARIS (AP) — The mayor of future Olympic host city Paris says she is quitting X, accusing Elon Musk ‘s platform previously known as Twitter of spreading disinformation and hatred and of becoming a "gigantic global sewer" that is toxic for democracy and constructive debate. "With its thousands … Full Story What's Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2023? Hint: Be true to yourself NEW YORK (AP) — In an age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence rose and Elon Musk turned Twitter into X, the Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is "authentic." Authentic cuisine. Authentic voice. Authentic self. Authenticity as artifice. Lookups for the word are routinely … Full Story What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: White House pans Fox News reporter for 'astroturfing' on Biden's age The White House is mocking a Fox News reporter who raised questions about President Biden’s age over the holiday weekend and then reported on … Read more Supreme Court denies Arizona lawmakers' attempt to avoid depositions in voting lawsuit The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an effort by Arizona's two top state legislators to avoid sitting for depositions in an ongoing lawsuit challenging … Read more What Others are Reading  Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: Election denialism nearly shattered our democracy. Meta's allowing it anyway.  SpaceX's Starship could be a few tests away from its ultimate goal The US can't give China any leeway in the war to dominate open-source tech    You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Technology page for the latest coverage. 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