We work hard every day to keep you safe online in the face of increasing cyber threats. This is accomplished by creating online security measures that place an emphasis on your privacy and security while giving you full control over your preferences. It’s how we keep more people safe online than anyone else in the world. With today being Safer Internet Day, we want to share the latest ways we’re working to protect you online.
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Securing the online ecosystem
On the heels of the recent U.S. midterm elections, and looking at what’s ahead for elections globally, we’re building on our commitment to help protect democracies worldwide. Today, we’re announcing a new Online Safety partnership with the International Foundation of Electoral Systems (IFES) to help secure high risk individuals globally, and we’re expanding our ongoing partnership with Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC) to help protect campaigns in the U.S. Additionally, this year we’ll be providing 100,000 Titan Security Keys to high risk individuals at no cost, while we continue to provide the strongest security to those who need it most with tools like Google’s Advanced Protection Program (APP). And to further our global online safety support, we’re launching a new $1M grant to the Impact Amplifier Africa Online Safety Fund, to support their work.
Some of the most damaging cyber attacks and data breaches begin with cybercriminals exploiting individual users. That’s why today we’re highlighting the importance of using a password manager, and how using Google Password Manager can actually be one of the simplest and safest ways to help protect your personal information. Plus, we’re sharing intel on what data breaches actually mean for your safety, and how Google Password Manager can help you mitigate the damage, take action and correct compromised credentials in real time.
As a company that’s been pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) for two decades, we use state of the art technology to stop the majority of online threats before they emerge. We protect Gmail users from nearly 15 billion unwanted messages a day, blocking more than 99.9% of spam, phishing and malware. In Google Drive, we are currently further expanding spam protections. In the coming weeks, we’ll begin rolling out, in beta, a new view in Drive for content that has been automatically classified or manually reported as spam. This is similar to your spam folder in Gmail – making it easier for you to review and stay safe from unwanted content.
Keeping your information safe and you in control
Beyond traditional cybersecurity, online safety also means keeping your personal information and online activity not only secure, but suited to your own preferences. That’s why we prioritize your privacy in our products and services, putting you in control so that you can customize settings based on what works best for you.
Fill out passwords easily and securely with Chrome: Google Password Manager is built into Chrome and Android to help you securely create, remember and autofill passwords on your computer or phone. We are now adding the option to use biometric authentication to verify your identity before entering your saved password on computers that are supported. Without having to repeatedly type in your computer’s password, you can also use this feature to securely reveal, copy, or edit passwords saved with Google Password Manager in Chrome and Android. More privacy features for the Google app for iOS: The Google app for iOS already offers a number of privacy features, including Incognito mode and a control that lets you quickly delete the last 15 minutes of saved Search history. But soon, you’ll be able to set up Face ID to protect the privacy of your Google app, so that if someone has your device they won’t be able to open it and gain access to your data.
Virtual card numbers: Virtual cards create unique numbers for online transactions, keeping your payment information safe. That means your real card number is not shared with merchants, protecting you from potential fraud. They have previously been available to Capital One cardholders, and we’re happy to announce that they’re now available to eligible American Express customers.
We are aware that ensuring the safety of children and families using our platforms is a top priority. That’s why we’ve invested in building experiences that align with kids’ and teens’ developmental stages and needs. We also provide tools like Family Link, which allow parents to monitor their children’s online activity, limit screen time, restrict content, and more to give families control over their relationship with technology. Building on this work, today we’re introducing new initiatives and tools.
Expanded SafeSearch setting: In the coming months, we’re expanding a safeguard to help protect you and your family from inadvertently encountering explicit imagery on Search. For signed-in users under the age of 18, SafeSearch filtering is already enabled by default. However, a new setting will soon blur explicit imagery from Search results if SafeSearch filtering is not enabled. This setting will be the new default for people who don’t already have the SafeSearch filter turned on, with the option to adjust settings at any time.
Partnering with National Parent Teacher Association (PTA): We’ve teamed up with National PTA to sponsor local Be Internet Awesome events for parents and families at 50 school campuses plus four regions across the U.S. These events are meant to help parents learn how to teach their children about important topics like privacy and security, how to spot scams, and how to spread kindness online while also fostering meaningful conversations about raising children in an online world.
YouTube Kids Playlist: Our YouTube Kids playlist titled “Build a Safer Internet” goes live today. The playlist will feature content that raises awareness about the safe, responsible, and positive use of technology for families. With kid-friendly tips and songs on internet safety and resources to talk about mindful screen time, these videos are meant to help parents and their families navigate the digital world.
We all use the internet, and we anticipate maintaining our momentum toward making it a safer environment for everyone. Stay tuned for more updates on our work in this space, and visit our Safety Center to learn about more ways that we’re making every day Safer with Google.
