Google Launches Safety Charter to Enhance Digital Security in India

Google's New Initiative for a Safer Digital India

New Delhi: On Tuesday, Google unveiled a significant initiative aimed at enhancing the safety of India's digital landscape by introducing its new 'Safety Charter' during the 'Safer with Google India Summit'.

This initiative is designed to safeguard users from online scams, improve cybersecurity for essential infrastructure, and ensure responsible AI development.

The Safety Charter is centered around three primary objectives: protecting internet users from fraud, bolstering cybersecurity for both governmental and business sectors, and creating responsible AI systems that prioritize user safety.

A crucial component of this initiative is Google's 'Digikavach' program, which has already reached over 177 million Indians through AI-driven tools and awareness campaigns targeting financial scams.

With advancements in AI, Google's systems are now more effective—its Search feature can identify 20 times more scam websites, leading to an 80% reduction in scam attacks on customer service platforms and a 70% decrease on government sites.

In terms of messaging, Google Messages is successfully blocking over 500 million scam texts each month.

Google Pay, a popular payment platform in India, has issued more than 41 million alerts to users regarding potential fraud, successfully preventing fraud amounting to ₹13,000 crore in 2024 alone.

The company's app safety system, Google Play Protect, has prevented nearly 60 million risky app installations across 13 million devices since its launch in India in October 2024.

Gmail, utilized by billions worldwide, automatically filters out over 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts, and malware.

To enhance cybersecurity on a broader scale, Google has implemented a new AI-driven strategy to detect threats early and share insights with other companies and government entities.

The Project Zero team, in collaboration with DeepMind, has leveraged AI to identify critical vulnerabilities in widely used software like SQLite before they can be exploited by malicious actors.

In support of the cybersecurity ecosystem, Google.org has committed $20 million to expand the Asia-Pacific Cybersecurity Fund, including a $5 million contribution to The Asia Foundation.

This funding will facilitate the establishment of 10 new cyberclinics in the region and foster partnerships with Indian universities to educate students and small businesses on digital safety.

Additionally, a significant partnership with IIT-Madras has been announced to advance research in Post-Quantum Cryptography.

This research aims to enhance the security of India's digital systems against future cyber threats.

Google's leadership emphasized that safety is integral to their design and technology. Preeti Lobana, Vice President and Country Manager for Google India, stated that fostering trust in India's digital infrastructure is vital for the country's developmental objectives.

She noted that Google's AI systems are already capable of identifying unprecedented scams and attacks, providing users with an extra layer of protection.

Heather Adkins, Vice President of Engineering for Google Security, highlighted the rapid evolution of online threats, stating that AI's capacity to learn, reason, and act at scale enables defenders to stay ahead of attackers like never before.