The Big G currently offers 2FA — also known as two-step verification (2SV) — as an optional setting, but will soon turn it on automatically. [Read: 3 new technologies ecommerce brands can use to connect better with customers] Mark Risher, Google’s director of product management, identity, and user security, announced the plan in a Thursday blog post: An “appropriately configured” account will already include recovery information, such as a secondary email or a phone number. You can check your setup on Google’s Security Checkup page You’ll also have the choice to opt-out of 2FA, but that’s normally an unwise move. Studies by Microsoft found that your account is more than 99.9% less likely to be compromised if you use multi-factor authentication. That doesn’t mean that 2FA is perfect, but it’s a lot safer than following Kanye West’s lead and securing your account with just the password 000000.
