Google Enhances Digital Safety Initiatives in India
Google is prioritising its commitment to digital safety in India as it tackles the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats. Focused on fraud prevention, cross-industry collaboration, and enhancing digital literacy, the tech giant took significant strides on Safer Internet Day 2025. Google aims to safeguard users from online scams and financial fraud through comprehensive efforts under its DigiKavach initiative.
Mauka Gawao Campaign Launch
In line with its mission to counter rising cyber fraud risks, Google has introduced the ‘Mauka Gawao’ campaign within the DigiKavach framework. This initiative raises awareness surrounding fraudulent job offers, investment schemes, and loan practices. The campaign has already made an impact, reaching 177 million individuals across the country.
Enhanced In-House Security Measures
Google is significantly upgrading its internal security across its platforms, integrating AI-driven fraud detection systems and real-time protection measures.
Key Security Enhancements
- Enhanced Play Protect: Launched in India in November 2024, has successfully blocked 13.9 million harmful app installation attempts, safeguarding 3.2 million devices.
- Global Real-Time Threat Scanning: Google Play Protect conducts daily scans on 200 billion apps, preventing over 13 million malicious apps from functioning outside the Play Store.
- Financial Fraud Prevention: Google Pay has detected fraudulent transactions worth ₹13,000 crores, and issued 41 million security alerts to users in India.
- YouTube Content Moderation: In the third quarter of 2024, over 4.1 million channels and 85,000 videos violating scam regulations were removed.
Promoting Digital Awareness
To bolster digital awareness, Google has piloted ShieldUp!, an engaging game-based learning programme designed to assist users in recognising online scams. Preliminary findings show that users demonstrated improved skills in detecting fraudulent activities, with retention of this knowledge even 21 days post-gameplay.
Collaborations to Combat Cybercrime
Google has formed a partnership with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and has integrated Google Pay with the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. This collaboration aids authorities in monitoring and tracking fraudulent transactions effectively.
Furthermore, Google has joined the Safer Internet India Coalition, a collective of digital service providers, banking institutions, telecom companies, and fintech organisations, all united to enhance user safety and combat cybercrime in India.
Investing in Digital Literacy
Through its philanthropic arm, Google.org, the company is funding efforts in digital literacy:
- CyberPeace Foundation has trained 197,000 people in responsible online behaviour and fact-checking.
- The Asia Foundation is working with MSME clusters and CUTS International to provide 45,000 small businesses with essential cybersecurity training.
Addressing AI-Generated Misinformation
In its pursuit of tackling AI-generated misinformation, Google has introduced SynthID—a technology that embeds metadata tags in AI-generated content, helping differentiate between authentic and synthetic media. Additionally, content creators on YouTube are now required to label AI-generated content clearly, fostering transparency for audiences.
