It’s Safer Internet Day, so there’s no better time to take three simple, yet important actions to protect yourself from account hijacking, malicious apps and loss of personal data.
Just like in the physical world where we are asked before stepping out of the house -- “Main door lock kiya?”; on interacting with unknown people and accepting gifts from those we don’t trust -- “strangers se baat toh nahi kiya?”; it’s now upon us to ask everyone Internet pe #SecurityCheckKiya [Have you done the security check yet?].
All you need to do is take out 2 minutes to secure your account at g.co/securitycheckup. You can think of the Security Check-up as your own personal security advisor, taking you through specific recommendations to help keep your Google account safe.
CAPTION: The Security Checkup provides a clear security status and personalized recommendations to strengthen your account security. A green check mark means you’re good to go, and a yellow or red exclamation point means there’s at least one issue for you to take care of.
The Security Checkup will keep evolving as new threats arise, so you can rely on it to provide you with up-to-date security advice.
Download apps on Google Play for peace of mind on your Android
If you’re an Android user, the safest place to download apps is from the Google Play store. Google Play Protect checks apps and your device around the clock to keep out malicious programs and makes sure you have the latest in mobile security protection. In 2017 alone, we took down more than 700,000 apps that violated Google Play policies, 70% more than the apps taken down in 2016. Google Play Protect is the ideal security blanket for your mobile device, so can you consider yourself and your data covered.
Find your Android Mobile Device hassle-free
Visit android.com/find to locate, ring, lock and erase your Android devices—phones, tablets, and even watches.
We know that keeping your information safe and private is important to you, which is why we’ve baked security features into all our products. We’ve also developed technologies to help keep the broader internet safe, too. Whether you’re using Gmail, Android, YouTube, or are simply browsing the web, here are some of the tools and features that you can be confident will help you keep safe:
Look out for automatic warnings
Spotting phishing scams or dangerous websites can be a challenge, even for savvy web users. Our automated systems detect and warn you about sites with malware, or attempts to phish you. Just keep an eye out for our warnings and follow the instructions—we've got you covered.
Protect your Google account with two-factor authentication
Secure your email inbox by activating 2 step verification. With this feature, you’ll need a password and a verification code that’s sent to your mobile phone to be able to get into your inbox. Enroll in 2-step verification here to add an extra layer of security your account.
You too can help keep YouTube safe
YouTube has always allowed people like you and me to report content we think is inappropriate. Once you’ve flagged a video, it’s submitted for review to YouTube staff who then carefully look at the content to determine whether there’s a violation of YouTube’s Community Guidelines to see if it should be removed. You can also flag individual comments under any video for abuse or spam.
Posted by Sunita Mohanty, Director, Trust & Safety, Google India