Today is the Safer Internet Day. In joining the Internet to celebrate the occasion, the search giant Google today announced an initiative that invites you to run a 30-second check on your Google Account in exchange for an additional two gigabytes of extra Google Drive storage.
As a quick reminder, Google Drive offers fifteen gigabytes of free storage to share across Google Drive, Gmail and Google+ Photos, or thirty gigs per account if you use Google Apps at work or school.
So, if you spare two minutes of your precious time and complete a simple security checkup on your Google Account by next Tuesday, February 17, Google will treat you to an additional 2 GB of Drive storage by the month’s end for a total of 17 GB of storage allowance.
“Have plans for the big holiday? Never heard of it? No problem. Celebrate today, or any day, by taking control of your account security with this 2-minute Security Checkup,” reads a message on the Google Drive Google+ page.
The Security Checkup web-tool is available here.
The following checks are performed:
- 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.
Provided your account follows Google’s best practices for security and privacy, like two-factor authentication, you’ll see three green checkboxes that confirm you’re eligible for the free storage.
Again, complete the Security Checkup by February 17 and two gigs of storage will be added to your Drive account on February 28. Furthermore, Google will email you when your storage adjustment is complete.
Last but not least, the two-gigabyte bump in your Google Drive storage plan is permanent, not temporary. Google Apps for Work and Google Apps for Education users are not eligible for the bonus storage.
Source: Google
