Keeping your Google account secure is already a good idea, so you might as well nab some Google Drive storage while doing it.
As part of Safer Internet Day (Tuesday, February 10), Google is giving away 2 GB of free Drive storage for completing a security checkup by February 17. And unlike most cloud storage freebies, this one is permanent.
The checkup is fairly painless and should only take a minute or two. First, you must verify the backup e-mail, phone number, and security question that Google uses to check suspicious behavior. You can then look through recent logins for any unrecognized activity, and review a list of apps and services that have access your Google account.
Related: Grab an easy 100GB of free OneDrive cloud storage from Bing Rewards
If you have two-factor authentication set up (and you probably should, especially if you use Gmail), you can also review apps with app-specific passwords, and make sure your verification phone number, backup codes, and backup passwords are up to date.
Google says the free storage should kick in around the end of the month, and users will get an e-mail when it happens. Unfortunately, the free storage offer doesn’t apply to Google Apps for Work and Google Apps for Education users.
Why this matters: Cloud storage giveaways can sometimes be a mixed blessing, luring you into using more space and then forcing you to pay up when the free ride stops. While you should treat these kinds of offers with suspicion, Google’s giveaway has no expiration date and is tied to something you ought to do anyway. If you’re reading this, and have a Google account, there’s no reason not to take advantage.