Google claims Indians are increasingly becoming more concerned about online security and in this regard has announced a string of new initiatives meant to spread awareness about safe internet browsing. It’s further rolled out some new features which have been designed to protect users.
According to Google Trends data, queries for ‘Change Password’ have risen by 20% over the past 1 year. The term ‘Two Step Verification’ has seen even more use, jumping by 97% within the same period of time. There’s also a whopping 591% more activity for searches such as ‘How to track a lost phone’.
Google is looking to entice users to go through its Security Checkup tool by offering them 2GB of additional Google Drive space as long as they complete it by February 11. It’s also added an extra layer of security in Gmail and Google for Work by activating a feature which warns consumers if the email they’re sending or have received is from a non-encrypted or unauthenticated source.
With the occurrence of fraudulent emails from cybercriminals rising in India, this could prove to be an especially useful function. A red lock symbol will appear against an unverified email address when sending an email. A question mark is supposed to show up within the contact bubble when a person gets an email from a source which can’t be authenticated.
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In a statement, Google asserts that over 5 million Indians start utilizing the internet every month. It estimates that this rapid adoption rate will eventually result in 500 million connected people by 2018 – 2019. The company hopes to increase awareness about safety in the nation by partnering with philanthropic enterprises like Web Rangers and Consumer Voice.