I have user account on my personal Google Workspace domain that is used purely for superuser access (my day-to-day account doesn't have special access).
I recently had to log into it for the first time in a few years to make a config change to the domain, and it wouldn't let me in because the 2FA code wasn't working, and a recovery code wasn't sufficient to enable privileged access. I had to reach out to Google Workspace support to regain admin access to my domain.
Thankfully, they were able to do so (although it took a few days and I had prove ownership of it).
So there's an example of a situation where an account that's not logged into for a long time doesn't mean that it's forgotten or unused.
The next aspiring trillionaire can take note of that argument when scamming people out of their retirement funds.
Why would one not provide one’s phone number to a financial institution where you hold your retirement or other investment funds?
Don't you think that "security" non-sequitur boogeyman is a bit too forced? You took my example, cherry-picked some words, and turned it into something else entirely. And too bad it doesn't even hold up because surrendering your phone number won't prevent securities fraud, which is what I was specifically referring to in my example.
People in jail/prison, for example, would not have the opportunity to access an account even if they wanted to keep it
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.
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?
I barely use my gmail that often. But I still need an email for password recovery.
I would personally not want my account recovery tied to an account I rarely use. That seems full of unnecessary risk. What if you forget that Gmail password? What if it’s compromised and you don’t even notice for almost a year? What if Google decides to change their retention for unused accounts to just 6 months?
“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.
"If you haven't used your emergency go-bag in over a year, why do you want to use it now"?
"If you haven't used your passport in over a year, why do you want to use it now"?
"If you haven't used your grandmother's family photo album in over a year, why do you want to use it now"?
"If you haven't used your safety deposit box in over a year, why do you want to use it now"?
You missed the point.
> If you haven't used your $whatever in a year, why do you want to use it now? Replace $whatever with whatever you want and you'll see how absurd this question is.
This is a silly statement specifically because the choice of “$whatever” determines whether it’s “absurd”. It’s definitely not absurd to assume that a year old sandwich is trash, while it is absurd to assert that an unaccessed safe deposit box is trash.
But of course you also pay the bank for your safe deposit box. If you stop paying then they absolutely will discard the contents (or send them off to the state, depending on laws). No one stores abandoned junk for free. If you want you pay Google for your account I bet they’ll keep it even if you never log in.
Haha, smart. But those quotes still don't justify me taking away your one year old ham sandwich.
If you leave your ham sandwich in the office fridge for a single week, anyone is justified in throwing it away.
The trouble is you think that you are in possession of a ham sandwich that Google is taking away when in reality you’ve left your ham sandwich in Google’s fridge and they are sick of storing the obviously-abandoned sandwich for you.
See also: https://xkcd.com/1150/