Free Dropbox account files are now inaccessible

I have had a free Dropbox account for a few years. For the past couple years or so, I have been receiving emails that warn about almost being out of storage space. These emails make clear that I may not be able to add additional content, but in no way indicate that I will not be able to access files that are already in Dropbox (assuming that I have not added new files). Consistent with this, I have gone into my account on several occasions and while doing so have deleted some old files. In no case have I added new files.

Today, Nov. 12, this all changed. I received an email titled: “Important, <name>: review your Dropbox storage options now” Based on this, I logged into my account to ensure that I still have access to my files. For the first time, I did not have access and Dropbox was steering me towards paying for such access under a premium plan.

Is this something Dropbox has implemented with other (or all) free accounts? If so, this is inconsistent with Dropbox’s previous communications that I have summarized above.