Hi everyone, (first time posting something, but this has pissed me off)
I'm looking for others who have experienced the same issue with Google deleting a deceased loved one's account before the 2-year inactivity period had expired.
In my case, Google deleted my late father's account before the 2-year inactivity rule was met. I have proof of an email sent from his account on January 24, 2022, to me, and I also know I accessed it afterwards, but I need to find the exact records, my father left me his passwords. However, by November 17, 2023, when I tried to access it again, the account had already been permanently deleted.
Google never contacted me via the recovery email (which was mine) before deletion. This account contained not only emails but also irreplaceable photos and memories stored in Google Drive, which my family (my mother, siblings, and I) can now maybe never recover.
I believe this might not be an isolated case, and Google could be deleting accounts without properly notifying users or respecting their own policies. If you or someone you know has faced a similar situation, let’s connect!
We are considering filing a joint complaint with European data protection authorities to demand an explanation and explore recovery options.
Thank you for your help and any suggestions are welcome!
Best Regards from Portugal
If you’ve gone through this, please share your experience here!
PS: Enthusiastic about saving and democratising access to data. I was responsible for implementing the professional management of the archive of my students' union association, which had more than 100 years of history (40 of them fighting against the dictatorship in Portugal)