Today is Safer Internet Day, and in recognition Google is giving away 2GB of additional (and permanent) Google Drive storage space to users who do a quick security settings checkup on their account.
It takes just a couple of minutes and, unlike other checkups, it won’t leave you feeling guilty about not flossing. Here’s what it does:
- Ensures your account recovery information is current
If we detect suspicious activity in your account, we use your recovery info to get in touch and make sure no one but you gains access. - Lets you review recent sign-in activity
Reviewing this lets you validate the sign-ins are coming from you and not someone who shouldn’t be using your credentials. - Confirms the apps and devices that access some account information
This step lets you monitor this list and remove apps and devices that don’t need access to your account any more.
After you’ve gone through the checkup successfully, you’ll see three green checkboxes (see below) that confirm you’re eligible for the free storage and, more importantly, that you’ve taken steps to enhance your online safety. We’ll be granting the storage automatically to everyone around 28 February 2015 and we’ll send you an email when your adjustment is complete.
Ideally, you’ll revisit this checkup every so often or anytime your account changes, like when you get a new phone or replace an old laptop. While this is just one way to help you stay safe online, you can find even more tools and tips in the Google Safety Center.
UPDATE: Google Apps for Work and Google Apps for Education users are not eligible for the bonus storage but should still consider taking the Security Checkup.”
We took Google up on its offer this morning, and it only took us around 1 minute to verify details for our long list of app access settings and devices. We noticed that it doesn’t work for Google Apps for Work or Education accounts, and Google did update the announcement with that clarification. As Google notes, and we agree, if you have that account type it is still a good idea to complete the Security Checkup.