Google launched a major digital safety initiative in India on Tuesday, introducing its new ‘Safety Charter’ at the ‘Safer with Google India Summit’.
The company aims to create a more secure online environment by combating scams, improving cybersecurity, and promoting responsible AI development.
Three Pillars of the Safety Charter
The ‘Safety Charter’ focuses on three core objectives:
- Protecting internet users from scams and fraud
- Enhancing cybersecurity for governments and businesses
- Building responsible AI systems that prioritise user safety
Digikavach reaches 17.7 Cr Indians
As part of this initiative, Google has expanded its ‘Digikavach’ program, which uses AI-powered tools and awareness campaigns to fight financial scams.
The programme has already reached over 17.7 crore users across India.
Google reported major improvements in its ability to detect and prevent online fraud using AI:
- Google Search now identifies 20 times more scam websites than before.
- Scam attacks on customer service and government platforms have dropped by 80% and 70%, respectively.
- Google Messages blocks over 500 million scam texts every month.
- Google Pay issued 4.1 crore fraud alerts, preventing fraud worth ₹13,000 crore in 2024.
- Google Play Protect blocked nearly 6 crore risky app installs across 1.3 crore devices since its India pilot in October 2024.
- Gmail now stops more than 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware automatically.
Google bolsters cybersecurity infrastructure
The tech giant has introduced an AI-powered early threat detection system, which shares information with other companies and government agencies to neutralise cyber threats before they escalate.
Through its Project Zero team in collaboration with DeepMind, Google used AI to detect serious vulnerabilities in widely used software like SQLite, identifying flaws before attackers could exploit them.
$20 Million Pledged to Strengthen Cybersecurity Ecosystem
To further support cybersecurity efforts in the Asia-Pacific region, Google.org pledged $20 million, including $5 million to The Asia Foundation. This funding will:
- Establish 10 new cyberclinics
- Partner with Indian universities
- Train students and small businesses in digital safety
Google also announced a strategic partnership with IIT-Madras to advance Post-Quantum Cryptography, a field critical to securing India’s digital infrastructure against future cyber threats.
Google leadership emphasises safety and trust
Preeti Lobana, Vice President and Country Manager for Google India, emphasised the importance of trust in India’s digital development.
She stated that Google’s AI can now detect novel scams and cyberattacks, adding an extra layer of protection for users.
Heather Adkins, Vice President of Engineering for Google Security, said, “Online threats now evolve at machine speed.”
She noted that AI’s ability to learn, reason, and act at scale empowers defenders to stay ahead of cybercriminals like never before.
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