Gwinnett County Public Schools

A few tricks to take you beyond the basics

Internet Tools: Safety Tips for Gmail & Google

Accounts

GCPS Tech Tips

Gwinnett County Public Schools is committed to providing information related to student technology use in a manner that is clear, concise, organized, accessible, and current. To that end, GCPS has provided articles and handouts on its web site.

The following resource is provided for information only and is NOT an official policy or procedure of Gwinnett County Public Schools. This resource may be used by schools and the school communities to share information and ideas around technology use.

Should a conflict between the information on this site and the existing policy, regulation or rule occur, then the official or approved policy, rule or regulation supersedes the resources in this document.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

As we increasingly depend upon Google services, the value of the private information contained within our Google accounts becomes more valuable to hackers.

By following these steps, you can maximize the security of your data within Google’s servers. Additionally, you can control how much access websites have to your personal information.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

USE 2-STEP VERIFICATION

Use the 2-Step verification feature to verify that you are you when logging into your Google account from a new browser, device, or application. Basically, there are two factors for authentication before you can log in:

• Your Google account password• A single-use verification code that is sent to your phone either by

text message or voice call

If you are logging into the same computer every day, this 2-step verification will not pester you every time. This simple measure provides a great deal of protection.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

2-STEP VERIFICATION SETUP

1. Log into your Google account, and go to www.google.com/accounts/

2. Click on Security on the left-hand side of the screen. Look under the 2-step verification title. If the status indicates that it is OFF, then you need to set it up. Click Settings under 2-step verification.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

2-STEP VERIFICATION SETUP (cont)

Now, follow the directions after clicking Settings. It will ask you to use a phone number to receive the verification code. You can receive codes by text message or voice call. Click Send Code to continue.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

2-STEP VERIFICATION SETUP (cont)

The verification code arrives almost immediately as a text message or phone call. Enter the verification code into the designated field, and click Verify to continue.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

2-STEP VERIFICATION SETUP (cont)

Review the Trust this computer statement. It is best to use your personal computer rather than a GCPS computer. You can always change which computer you trust through your account settings. Click Next to continue.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

2-STEP VERIFICATION SETUP (cont)

In the last window, click Confirm to complete the setup process.

Now when you view the Security screen for your account, the 2-step verification status will indicate that it is ON.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

MANAGE ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION

You may not realize it, but many applications that you use (including websites) have access to your Google account. That means these apps and websites could be reading your contacts, settings, and more. Here are a few steps that describe how you can take control of website and application access.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

MANAGE ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION (cont)

1. Log into your Google account, and go to www.google.com/accounts/

2. Click on Security on the left-hand side of the screen. In the next window, look for the section entitled Connected applications and sites, and click on Manage Access.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

MANAGE ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION (cont)

If Google asks for your password again. Enter it to continue. At the top of the page, you will see a list of websites/services that have access to your account along with what they can access from it.

If you want to revoke access for a specific site, you can do so with the Revoke Access button.

Safety Tips: Gmail & Google Accounts

That is all there is to it!

Be careful about which websites/apps you give access to your account. We have just offered you two ways to manage and put an extra lock of security on your Google account.

You can never be 100% secure, but by following these steps you can beef up the default security provided by Google.

GCPS Tech Tips

We hope you found this technology tip useful. Feel free to share this tip with colleagues and students.

More technology tips can be found on the IMD website here.

For questions or comments about the technology tips, send email toIMD_Connection_Newsletter@gwinnett.k12.ga.us

Gwinnett County Public Schools | 437 Old Peachtree Road NW | Suwanee | GA | 30024-2978 | 678-301-6000