Google will begin deleting inactive accounts starting from Friday. The company’s inactive account policy aims to improve security by removing accounts that have not been used for a long time. Simply signing into an account or sending an email will be enough to keep it active. Google stated that forgotten and unused accounts are more vulnerable to compromise. Google accounts provide access to various services such as Gmail and YouTube. The company explained that old accounts are at a higher risk because they often rely on old or reused passwords and lack two-factor authentication.

To prevent your account from being deleted, signing in should be sufficient to keep it active for another two years. Reading or sending an email using Google Drive or watching a YouTube video can also help. It is recommended to have a recovery email address associated with your account in case you forget your password. Google has sent emails to affected accounts and their recovery email addresses to notify them of the impending deletion. Additionally, users are advised to sign in to Google Photos every two years to ensure their photos and other content are not deleted.

Accounts created for work or school purposes will not be affected by the deletion policy. Accounts that have an ongoing Google service or subscription, or are used to manage a child’s active account using Google’s Family Link feature, may be considered actively used and exempt from deletion. If you have recently signed into your account, there is no need to worry as it is considered active and will not be deleted.

In conclusion, Google will delete inactive accounts to enhance security. Users can prevent their accounts from being deleted by signing in, using Google Drive or YouTube, and having a recovery email address. Work or school accounts, as well as accounts with ongoing services or subscriptions, will not be affected.

Original news source: Inactive Google accounts to be deleted from Friday (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades

Instructions: Divide the students into small groups. Give each group a set of keywords related to the article (e.g. Google, inactive account, security, compromise, two-factor authentication). One student from each group will choose a keyword and act it out without speaking while the other group members try to guess the keyword. The group that guesses the most keywords correctly wins.

– News Summary

Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. Each pair will read the article and then write a summary of the main points in their own words. After they finish, they will take turns sharing their summaries with each other. They can compare their summaries and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Opinion Poll

Instructions: Ask the students to form a circle. Pose a question related to the article (e.g. Do you think Google’s decision to delete inactive accounts is a good idea?). Each student will then share their opinion on the topic. After everyone has shared, ask the students to vote by raising their hand for either “agree” or “disagree”. Facilitate a short discussion on the different opinions and reasons behind them.

– Vocabulary Pictionary

Instructions: Write a list of keywords from the article on the board (e.g. Google, security, compromise, two-factor authentication). Divide the students into teams. One student from each team will come to the board and choose a keyword. They will then have a limited amount of time to draw a picture representing the keyword while their team members try to guess it. The team that guesses the most keywords correctly wins.

– Headline Creation

Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. Each pair will create a catchy headline for the article. Encourage them to be creative and use their own words. After they finish, ask each pair to share their headline with the class. As a class, discuss the different headlines and why they chose them.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is Google’s reason for deleting inactive accounts?
2. How can users keep their accounts active?
3. Why are old accounts at a higher risk of compromise?
4. What services can be accessed through a Google account?
5. What can users do to ensure their photos and content are not deleted?
6. Which types of accounts will not be affected by the deletion policy?
7. What actions can exempt an account from deletion?
8. What steps has Google taken to notify users of the impending deletion?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Google will begin deleting inactive (1)______ (2)______ from (3)______. The company’s inactive account policy aims to improve security by removing accounts that have not been used for a long time. Simply signing into an account or sending an email will be enough to keep it active. Google stated that forgotten and unused accounts are more vulnerable to compromise. Google accounts provide access to various services such as Gmail and (4)______. The company explained that old accounts are at a (5)______ risk because they often rely on old or reused (6)______s and lack two-factor (7)______.

To prevent your account from being deleted, signing in should be sufficient to keep it active for another two years. Reading or sending an email (8)______ Google Drive or watching a YouTube video can also help. It is recommended to have a recovery email address associated with your account in case you forget your password. Google has sent emails to affected accounts and their recovery email addresses to notify them of the impending deletion. Additionally, users are (9)______ to sign in to Google Photos every two years to ensure their photos and other (10)______ are not deleted.

Accounts created for work or school purposes will not be affected by the deletion policy. Accounts that have an ongoing Google service or subscription, or are used to (11)______ a child’s (12)______ account using Google’s Family Link feature, may be considered actively used and exempt from deletion. If you have recently signed into your account, there is no need to worry as it is considered active and will not be deleted.

In conclusion, Google will delete inactive accounts to enhance (13)______. (14)______ can prevent their accounts from being deleted by signing in, using Google (15)______ or YouTube, and having a recovery (16)______ address. Work or school accounts, as well as accounts with ongoing services or subscriptions, will not be affected.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is the purpose of Google’s inactive account policy?
2. How would you feel if your Google account was deleted because it was inactive?
3. Do you think it’s important to regularly sign into your online accounts even if you’re not using them? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever forgotten a password for one of your online accounts? How did you recover it?
5. What are some potential risks of having an inactive account?
6. Do you think it’s a good idea to have a recovery email address associated with your account? Why or why not?
7. How often do you sign into your Google account? Why?
8. Have you ever had an online account compromised or hacked? How did it make you feel?
9. Do you use two-factor authentication for any of your online accounts? Why or why not?
10. What are some other ways that companies can enhance security for their users’ accounts?
11. How often do you check your Google Photos? Why or why not?
12. Do you think it’s fair that work or school accounts are exempt from the deletion policy? Why or why not?
13. What are some potential consequences of having your photos or other content deleted from your Google account?
14. How do you manage your online passwords to ensure they are secure?
15. Do you think other companies should implement similar policies to delete inactive accounts? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Google
2. inactive
3. accounts
4. security
5. deleted
6. signing
7. email
8. accounts

Meanings:
(a) Personal profiles or logins for online services
(b) Not active or not being used
(c) The company that will delete inactive accounts
(d) A message sent electronically
(e) Personal profiles or logins for online services
(f) Logging into an account to keep it active
(g) Measures taken to protect against threats or risks
(h) Removed or erased from existence
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is Google deleting inactive accounts?
(a) To save storage space
(b) To increase user engagement
(c) To improve security
(d) To reduce server load

2. What can users do to keep their accounts active?
(a) Delete old emails
(b) Change their password regularly
(c) Create a new account
(d) Sign in or send an email

3. Which services can be accessed with a Google account?
(a) Facebook and Twitter
(b) Gmail and YouTube
(c) Netflix and Spotify
(d) Amazon and eBay

4. Why are old accounts at a higher risk?
(a) They lack two-factor authentication
(b) They are more likely to be compromised
(c) All of the above
(d) They often have weak passwords

5. What can users do if they forget their password?
(a) Contact Google support
(b) Create a new account
(c) Use a recovery email address
(d) None of the above

6. Which accounts will not be affected by the deletion policy?
(a) Work or school accounts
(b) Accounts with ongoing services or subscriptions
(c) Accounts used to manage a child’s active account
(d) All of the above

7. How often should users sign in to Google Photos?
(a) Every two years
(b) Every month
(c) Every week
(d) Every day

8. What will happen to recently signed-in accounts?
(a) They will be deleted immediately
(b) They will be considered active and not deleted
(c) They will receive a warning email
(d) They will be asked to change their password

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Google will begin deleting inactive accounts starting from Friday.
2. The inactive account policy aims to improve security by removing unused accounts.
3. Simply signing into an account or sending an email will be enough to keep it active.
4. Signing in should be sufficient to keep an account active for another two years.
5. Forgotten and unused accounts are less vulnerable to compromise.
6. Accounts created for work or school purposes will be affected by the deletion policy.
7. Old accounts are not at a higher risk because they often rely on old or reused passwords and lack two-factor authentication.
8. Accounts with ongoing services or subscriptions will be deleted.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Why is Google deleting inactive accounts?
2. What actions can users take to prevent their accounts from being deleted?
3. How are users being notified about the impending deletion of their accounts?
4. Which types of accounts will not be affected by the deletion policy?
5. What is the purpose of deleting inactive accounts?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Google is deleting inactive accounts to improve security.
2. Users can keep their accounts active by signing in, using Google Drive or YouTube, and having a recovery email address.
3. Old accounts are at a higher risk of compromise because they often rely on old or reused passwords and lack two-factor authentication.
4. Gmail and YouTube are some of the services that can be accessed through a Google account.
5. Users can ensure their photos and content are not deleted by signing in to Google Photos every two years.
6. Work or school accounts, as well as accounts with ongoing services or subscriptions, will not be affected by the deletion policy.
7. Accounts with ongoing Google services or subscriptions, or accounts used to manage a child’s active account using Google’s Family Link feature, may be exempt from deletion.
8. Google has sent emails to affected accounts and their recovery email addresses to notify them of the impending deletion.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) accounts
(2) starting
(3) Friday
(4) YouTube
(5) higher
(6) password
(7) authentication
(8) using
(9) advised
(10) content
(11) manage
(12) active
(13) security
(14) Users
(15) Drive
(16) email
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Google
Answer: (c) The company that will delete inactive accounts

2. inactive
Answer: (b) Not active or not being used

3. accounts
Answer: (a) Personal profiles or logins for online services

4. security
Answer: (g) Measures taken to protect against threats or risks

5. deleted
Answer: (h) Removed or erased from existence

6. signing
Answer: (f) Logging into an account to keep it active

7. email
Answer: (d) A message sent electronically

8. accounts
Answer: (a) Personal profiles or logins for online services
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is Google deleting inactive accounts?
Answer: (c) To improve security

2. What can users do to keep their accounts active?
Answer: (d) Sign in or send an email

3. Which services can be accessed with a Google account?
Answer: (b) Gmail and YouTube

4. Why are old accounts at a higher risk?
Answer: (d) They often have weak passwords

5. What can users do if they forget their password?
Answer: (c) Use a recovery email address

6. Which accounts will not be affected by the deletion policy?
Answer: (a) Work or school accounts

7. How often should users sign in to Google Photos?
Answer: (a) Every two years

8. What will happen to recently signed-in accounts?
Answer: (b) They will be considered active and not deleted
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Google will begin deleting inactive accounts starting from Friday. (Answer: True)
2. The inactive account policy aims to improve security by removing unused accounts. (Answer: True)
3. Simply signing into an account or sending an email will be enough to keep it active. (Answer: True)
4. Signing in should be sufficient to keep an account active for another two years. (Answer: True)
5. Forgotten and unused accounts are less vulnerable to compromise. (Answer: False)
6. Accounts created for work or school purposes will be affected by the deletion policy. (Answer: False)
7. Old accounts are not at a higher risk because they often rely on old or reused passwords and lack two-factor authentication. (Answer: False)
8. Accounts with ongoing services or subscriptions will be deleted. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧