Citing data from Google Trends, Google Philippines said the Philippines is among the top 3 countries in the world searching for the keywords “computer virus” in 2022. This is driven by cybersecurity events that affect the digital lives of Filipinos.
The heightened awareness on security among Filipinos can be attributed to the massive smishing (SMS phishing) last year.
Google has a slew of privacy features and tools that internet users may not be aware of or just didn’t have the time to explore. At a press briefing held recently for Safe Internet Day, Google Philippines revisited these tools and best practices to keep data safe online.
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“We have security and built-in protections in place for everyone because we want to be helpful and we can only do that if our products are secure,” said Mervin Wenke, head of Communications and Public Affairs, Google Philippines.
Here are some of Google’s privacy features that internet users can make use of and be safe online. These are embedded into your Google accounts and no subscription is required. All you have to do is use them.
Google Password Manager
Writing down and recycling passwords are a no-no if you don’t want cybercriminals to take control of any of your accounts. Google Password Manager creates unique passwords that are difficult to crack. Instead of remembering different passwords for different websites, using Google Password Manager will manage these passwords for you.
Security Checkup
Google periodically reminds Google Chrome users to take Security Checkup to ensure that the privacy and security features of their Google accounts are enabled — and working. Google advises its users to enroll in a two-step authentication (2FA) an extra layer of security at sign-in.
Privacy Checkup
Using a scanning feature, Chrome users will get a warning message if they seem to be treading on a dangerous or unsecured site. Just set up the privacy settings to enable this feature.
Google Play Protect
For Android users, Google Play Protect runs a safety check on apps from the Google Play Store before anyone can download them. It also sends privacy alerts about apps that can get user permissions to access their personal information.
In reality, though, users can sometimes get careless when surfing online and forget about securing their accounts and devices. By enabling Google’s security tools and features, you will be reminded regularly of the need to take extra precautions to protect your information online.
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