According to Cointelegraph, Google has announced a new policy to delete user accounts that have been inactive for at least two years. This move, which will begin in December 2023, aims to reclaim underused space and enhance security measures. The policy will start with accounts that were created but never used and will proceed in phases to delete other dormant accounts. Google explained that abandoned accounts are significantly less likely to have 2-step verification set up, making them vulnerable to security threats such as identity theft and malicious content. The policy will only affect individual accounts and will not impact accounts used by schools or business enterprises.

Tech YouTuber 'Mental Outlaw' believes this initiative indicates that Google is running out of storage, which may signal the decline of free online service models. Many early Gmail users utilized the service as a form of cloud storage, saving gigabytes of photos and files. The growing popularity of adblocking services and internet browsers like Brave, which prevent data harvesting by big tech companies, has significantly affected revenue for firms like Google that collect and monetize user data. This downward pressure on revenue threatens the current business model of offering free online services in exchange for user data.

In response to these challenges, alternatives to big tech storage and services have emerged. Platforms like Functionland, a decentralized cloud storage solution, provide users with more autonomy over their data. Additionally, projects like Irys are challenging the dominance of centralized data storage providers like Google and Amazon Web Services, aiming to capture market share by offering more user-centric solutions.