At a time when instances of data breaches and malicious apps have become an everyday affair, Google has outlined a few steps for users to secure their Google account and take control of their data on the occasion of Safer Internet Day.
“Across Google, we build products with strong security protections at their core to continuously and automatically detect and protect you and your data from a wide range of threats. This Safer Internet Day, we want to remind users about the simple actions they can take to further strengthen their online security,” Sunita Mohanty, Director, Trust and Safety, India said in a blog post.
Secure Your Phone
For starters, Android users are advised to download apps only from the Google Play Store. Google claims that Google Play Protect scans over 50 billion apps every single day, identifying potentially harmful apps and keeping them off devices or removing them.
Apart from that, Google advises users to keep their screens locked with a unique password [pattern/ pin]. Add Google account on devices, to be able to find it, so if a device is lost or stolen, ‘Find My Device’ app from Google can help locate a lost Android device, and keep your device and information secure.
Secure Your Data
Google claims that it has baked security and privacy features into all its products. “For example, we notify you when you’ve granted access to third-party sites or apps, but it’s really important for you to understand the information that you share with these apps or sites. A quick check on your phone tells you exactly what access -- including Calendar, Camera, Contacts, Location, Microphone, etc. — you have shared with third party apps,” Sunita says.
These setting can be found in: Settings > Apps & Notifications > Advanced > App Permissions
Secure Your Account
Lastly, Google says that users can do a health checkup of your Google Account, which gives you personalized and actionable security recommendations that help strengthen the security of your Google Account. “Taking the Security Checkup doesn’t just help you stay safer while using Google services, it also includes helpful tips to keep you safer across the web, such as by reminding you to add a screen lock to your mobile phone, reviewing third-party access to your Google Account data, and showing you what sites and apps you may have signed into using your Google Account,” she says.
This can be found on Desktops at Google Account > Run Security Check
For mobiles, visit Gmail App, Settings > tap ID > Manage Your Google Account > Run Security Check