Google is going to make the internet safer – by default.
STOP using this two-factor authentication (2FA) method!
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a huge layer of security to your login credentials, but only if it’s enabled. By the end of 2021, Google plans to switch over 150 million Google users and force 2 million YouTubers to enable the setting. 2FA has been available through Google for years, but in 2018, only 10% of accounts used it. People just don’t seem to care about anything that isn’t enabled by default. Google’s rival Apple knows this, which is why it’s been aggressive in automatically opting users into new security and privacy features.
“As Google discovered when they enforced two-factor authentication for their own employees and high-value targets, account compromises via phishing effectively disappear when two-factor authentication is enabled,” Bobby DeSimone, founder and CEO of Pomerium, a security service that also enforces two-factor authentication, told Lifewire via email.
"Google's enabling of two-factor authentication by default is a commendable step forward in spreading that success to Gmail users at large. In particular, the default encourages the use of even stronger two-factor methods, such as device keys."
