How to Get 2 Gigabytes of Free Google Drive Space Today
All it takes is a couple minutes.
Today, Google announced for the second year in a row that to promote Safer Internet Day it will give any user who completes a quick security audit of their account two gigabytes of free Google Drive Space. This is like chump change to Google, but for everyone else, it’s two minutes well spent.
The audit is simple: Click on the link in this tweet, and it will take you to a page to log into your account. Here’s the tricky part — make sure you choose the right account. Personal accounts have about 15 gigabytes of storage space, but work and school accounts have at least double that. To check how much storage you have, Google helps you out. I switched the login from my work to personal account and did the security check.
The rest is super easy. You go through a series of prompts asking you to check the phone and backup email associated with your account before making sure the right devices are hooked up. And the next check is actually pretty fun to see — you’re given a log of apps with access to your account, and you confirm that you’ve granted them access. This is a good time to revoke access for apps you haven’t heard of or no longer use. Click “done,” and you’ve got 13 percent more Google Drive storage. Thanks Google.
This is a screen shot showing how easy it is to do a security check on your Google account.
This drive giveaway is just one act of internet kindness going on today around the world. What started as a European project in 2004, Safer Internet Day has now expanded across more than 100 countries on every continent. Each year they choose a theme to raise awareness about the latest online concerns from cyber bullying to social networking. This year’s message is “Play your part for a better internet.” Safer Internet Day happens every February, maybe because it’s cold and things like free Google Drive space is arguably better than a free Valentine’s dinner.
In the United States, at Universal Studios Hollywood, more than 250 students will participate in a live streaming event at 1 p.m. Eastern. The big goal is to urge others to do their part to to promote well-being on the internet. If you’re not a parent or teacher and happen to be older than 15, this might be fairly boring. However, if you want to get involved, you can check it out.
