Google security update: Users to be enrolled into 2-step verification automatically

It claims this will be another way for the user’s account to confirm that the legitimate owner of the account is trying to log in. In the official blog post, Mark Risher Director of Product Management, Identity and User Security at Google said that, “One of the best ways to protect your account from a breached or bad password is by having a second form of verification in place – another way for your account to confirm it is really you logging in.”

The company has confirmed that it will now start automatically enroll users in 2SV if their accounts are appropriately configured. If the user wants to check the status of their account, they can do so using Security Checkup. According to Risher, using a mobile device to sign in gives people a safer and more secure authentication experience than passwords alone.

Apart from this, Google is also building advanced security technologies into devices to make this multi-factor authentication seamless and even more secure than a password.

As another way to enhance user security, Google has made a ‘pre-announcement’ about an upcoming safety section in Google Play that it claims will help people understand the data an app collects or shares, if that data is secured, and additional details that impact privacy and security. The new feature is aimed at providing more control to the user over their own data. The announcement follows Apple’s iOS 14.5 update which has also introduced a new safety feature where apps will have to request permission for tracking user behaviour.

The new policy requirements from Google will be shared with app developers in the third quarter this year and developers can start declaring information in the Google Play Console by Q4 2021.