Google's Security Verification Tool makes it easy to lock your Gmail account

Like us, you were probably surprised and disappointed to learn Google's alarming practice of allowing third-party application developers to read your Gmail conversations for targeted advertising purposes.

Of course, the only way these developers can access your Gmail account is with your permission, but we assume that in many cases, people may have granted an entry to developers without even realizing it.

Fortunately, Google's security check tool will allow you to monitor third-party access to your account, as well as check other possible issues with its online security.

Here is a simple two-step guide on how you can use this useful tool to prevent third parties from accessing your private content.

Step 1: Visit the Security Check-up Web site

Once your Google Account is connected, visit the Security Check-up Web site. Here you will find a list of areas where your account may or may not be threatened.

If your account shows green check marks on the entire site, then, according to Google estimates, your account should be relatively safe.

That said, a green checkmark will appear even if you have provided third-party access to your account, provided that Google considers the threat to your privacy at low risk.

Step 2: Adjust Third Party Access Settings

Clicking the "Third Party Access" drop-down menu displays a list of the applications or services you have allowed. access your Google Account one way or another.

To learn more about the access you provide, click on the "i" information icon next to each application.

Here you should see a more detailed explanation of what third-party developers have access to, as well as information on the number of Google account holders who use the app.

If the access you provided is actually low risk, the application or service will probably only be able to look at trivial things like your language preferences or your approximate age.

That said, you may have given apps access to more information than you want, such as the ability to read or delete your emails.

If that is indeed the case, just click on "delete access". to prevent the application from accessing your content. Once you have done this, your account should be more secure from prying eyes.

It is worth noting that in some cases, removing access may prevent a third-party application or service from working as intended. If this is the case, you can still restore the application access to your data – just make sure you are comfortable doing it.