Google Bolsters AI-Powered Fraud Protection with Safety Charter in India
Google rolled out its Safety Charter in India on June 17, a strategic step to counter the growing number of digital frauds and scams using AI-powered security solutions. The move follows the mounting instances of fraud, particularly involving UPI transactions, which recorded an 85% year-on-year growth and experienced close to $11 billion in losses in the previous year. Google's initiatives are aimed at preventing online scams, where scammers impersonate officials in an attempt to extort money during video calls or get loans using fake applications.
AI-Augmented End User and Enterprise Protection
Google Vice President of Engineering for Security Heather Adkins described that the Safety Charter operates on three major pillars: guarding end-users against fraud committed online, providing strong cybersecurity for the government and enterprise environments, and promoting responsible AI creation. As part of the effort, Google Pay flagged 41 million potential fraud transactions, while its Google Messages app, with AI-driven Scam Detection, blocks more than 500 million suspicious messages every month. Additionally, Google's Play Protect initiative has played a significant role in blocking almost 60 million high-risk attempts to install apps and stopping more than 220,000 harmful apps from reaching over 13 million devices.
Also Read: CrowdStrike Launches AI Security Tool for AWS at re:Inforce
AI-Powered Threat Detection and Collaboration with Indian Authorities
Adkins also pointed to the essential function of AI for detecting threats quicker. With Google's AI-powered system, Gemini, threat detection performance has been enhanced by 300%, facilitating quicker recognition and response to cyber dangers. Through this AI technology, Google can identify security threats in a percentage of the time that humans would take. Google has also joined hands with the Ministry of Home Affairs' Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to increase awareness and prevention of cybercrime. Google's DigiKavach initiative, which started in 2023, also aims to counter malicious finance and loan apps that exploit innocent users.
With these efforts, Google hopes to improve digital security, protect users, and drive India's journey toward a more secure and resilient digital economy.
