As India continues its push into an AI-powered digital future, Google is stepping in with a new plan to make that journey safer. At its “Safer with Google India” summit held in Delhi on Monday, the tech giant unveiled a Safety Charter—a broad framework focused on fighting scams, improving cybersecurity, and making sure artificial intelligence is built and used responsibly.
The timing isn’t surprising. With more Indians than ever online—and a growing number of them using digital payments, accessing government services, or even experimenting with AI—risks have multiplied. Scam calls, fake apps, phishing links, and deepfake content are no longer rare. And many users, especially first-time internet users, are still figuring out how to spot these threats.
A closer look at what Google’s doing
At the heart of Google’s efforts is Digikavach, a program that combines AI tools and public awareness campaigns to protect users. According to the company, it has helped stop around 6 crore high-risk app downloads on over 1.3 crore devices in India. Google Pay alone has issued over 4 crore scam transaction alerts, and Gmail continues to filter out billions of spam and phishing emails daily.
What’s interesting is how AI is quietly working behind the scenes. For example, Google Search is now reportedly 20 times better at catching scammy websites. Impersonation attacks—like fake customer care or government sites—have dropped significantly. Google Messages blocks about 500 million scam texts every month, all through on-device AI.
The company says that across platforms, these protections helped prevent financial fraud worth nearly Rs 13,000 crore last year.
Beyond user safety: securing the digital infrastructure
Google’s charter also looks beyond everyday scams. It’s using AI in more technical areas, like spotting vulnerabilities in commonly used software before attackers do. Its Project Zero team, working with DeepMind, recently identified unknown flaws in systems like SQLite—flaws that could have been quietly exploited.
To widen the circle of protection, Google.org is putting $20 million into expanding its APAC Cybersecurity Fund. In India, this means setting up cyberclinics with universities to train students and small business owners in basic cybersecurity.
Another big step: a collaboration with IIT-Madras to develop Post-Quantum Cryptography, which could eventually shape how secure digital interactions look in the next decade.
Building AI that’s not just smart, but safe
Google also talked about how it’s approaching AI development with caution. Its internal testing methods are designed to flag harmful or biased behavior in models early on. One of its tools, SynthID, has quietly watermarked over 10 billion AI-generated images, adding a layer of transparency to online content.
To make AI more accessible and accurate in India, Google is testing its systems in 29 Indic languages using tools like IndicGenBench, to ensure that performance isn’t skewed toward English or Hindi alone.
It’s not just a tech problem
One of the underlying messages at the summit was that cybersecurity isn’t just Google’s job—or any one company’s for that matter. The tech giant is already working with Indian government bodies like the Department of Telecom, Ministry of Home Affairs, and SEBI to share threat intelligence in real time.
As Preeti Lobana, Google India’s VP and Country Manager, said, “For India to become Viksit Bharat, we have to build and protect trust in the internet. That trust is what powers the digital economy.”
Her colleague, Heather Adkins, who heads Google’s security engineering, put it more bluntly: “Online threats are evolving at machine speed. AI is the only way to keep up.”
The bigger picture
Google’s Safety Charter is not a silver bullet—and it doesn’t claim to be. But it does show how big tech companies are starting to respond to the very real risks that come with digital progress.
For users, it means more tools to stay safe. For policymakers, it sets the stage for more collaboration. And for India, which is placing big bets on AI, it’s a reminder that security and innovation need to grow side by side.
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