Daily, over a billion individuals use Google Messages to speak. That’s why we’ve made safety a prime precedence, constructing in highly effective on-device, AI-powered filters and superior safety that protects customers from 2 billion suspicious messages a month. With end-to-end encrypted1 RCS conversations, you may talk privately with different Google Messages RCS customers. And we’re not stopping there. We’re dedicated to consistently growing new controls and options to make your conversations on Google Messages much more safe and personal.
As a part of cybersecurity consciousness month, we’re sharing 5 new protections to assist hold you secure whereas utilizing Google Messages on Android:
- Enhanced detection protects you from package deal supply and job scams. Google Messages is including new protections in opposition to rip-off texts which will appear innocent at first however can finally result in fraud. For Google Messages beta customers2, we’re rolling out enhanced rip-off detection, with improved evaluation of scammy texts, beginning with a give attention to package deal supply and job looking for messages. When Google Messages suspects a possible rip-off textual content, it is going to robotically transfer the message into your spam folder or warn you. Google Messages makes use of on-device machine studying fashions to categorise these scams, so your conversations keep non-public and the content material is rarely despatched to Google until you report spam. We’re rolling this enhancement out now to Google Messages beta customers who’ve spam safety enabled.
- Clever warnings warn you about doubtlessly harmful hyperlinks. Up to now 12 months, we’ve been piloting extra protections for Google Messages customers once they obtain textual content messages with doubtlessly harmful hyperlinks. In India, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, Google Messages warns customers once they get a hyperlink from unknown senders and blocks messages with hyperlinks from suspicious senders. We’re within the strategy of increasing this function globally later this 12 months.
- Controls to show off messages from unknown worldwide senders. In some instances, rip-off textual content messages come from worldwide numbers. Quickly, it is possible for you to to robotically disguise messages from worldwide senders who aren’t present contacts so that you don’t should work together with them. If enabled, messages from worldwide non-contacts will robotically be moved to the “Spam & blocked” folder. This function will roll out first as a pilot in Singapore later this 12 months earlier than we take a look at increasing to extra nations.
- Delicate Content material Warnings offer you management over seeing and sending pictures which will comprise nudity. At Google, we intention to offer customers with a wide range of methods to guard themselves in opposition to undesirable content material, whereas holding them in charge of their information. Because of this we’re introducing Delicate Content material Warnings for Google Messages.
Delicate Content material Warnings is an optionally available function that blurs pictures which will comprise nudity earlier than viewing, after which prompts with a “pace bump” that incorporates help-finding assets and choices, together with to view the content material. When the function is enabled, and a picture which will comprise nudity is about to be despatched or forwarded, it additionally supplies a pace bump to remind customers of the dangers of sending nude imagery and stopping unintended shares.
All of this occurs on-device to guard your privateness and hold end-to-end encrypted message content material non-public to solely sender and recipient. Delicate Content material Warnings doesn’t permit Google entry to the contents of your pictures, nor does Google know that nudity could have been detected. This function is opt-in for adults, managed by way of Android Settings, and is opt-out for customers underneath 18 years of age. Delicate Content material Warnings might be rolling out to Android 9+ units together with Android Go units3 with Google Messages within the coming months.
- Extra affirmation about who you’re messaging. That can assist you keep away from subtle messaging threats the place an attacker tries to impersonate one among your contacts, we’re working so as to add a contact verifying function to Android. This new function will mean you can confirm your contacts’ public keys so you may affirm you’re speaking with the particular person you plan to message. We’re making a unified system for public key verification throughout totally different apps, which you’ll be able to confirm by means of QR code scanning or quantity comparability. This function might be launching subsequent 12 months for Android 9+ units, with help for messaging apps together with Google Messages.
These are simply a number of the new and upcoming options that you should use to raised shield your self when sending and receiving messages. Obtain Google Messages from the Google Play Retailer to get pleasure from these protections and controls and study extra about Google Messages right here.
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