Google announces new privacy, safety and security features across its services

The annual I/O developer conference is where Google introduces or previews its new products for the year.

Tech giant Google's latest initiatives aim to protect users from cyber threats, including phishing attacks and malicious websites, while also providing more control and transparency over their personal data.

Illustration photo.

This year, Google introduced many new features, including: Improved transparency and data control; Reporting results of dark web scans on the Gmail app; Easily delete search history on maps; Safe Browsing based on artificial intelligence (AI); Expanded programming interface for applications (API) for safe browsing; Search by image (About This Image) and Spam view in the Google Drive app.

Among the new features introduced, the first on the list is improved transparency and data control. Google has unveiled an update to its Android operating system that gives users more control over location sharing through apps installed on their devices.

“When you turn on location data, you’ll be notified in permission requests when apps share your information with third parties for advertising purposes. You can use this information to decide whether you want to approve or deny location sharing for each app, so you’re always in control,” said Jen Fitzpatrick, senior vice president of core systems and experience at Google.

Additionally, the company said it is expanding dark web reports to all users with Gmail accounts in the US to alert them if their sensitive data is circulating on sites not indexed by search engines.

The feature, which initially rolled out to Google One subscribers in March 2023, allows it to scan the dark web for personally identifiable information like names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers, and search for appropriate instructions.

The third privacy-focused feature rolled out by the tech giant is the ability to clear recent searches from Maps with just one tap instead of deleting Maps search history from web and app activity.

Other notable features include a new Safe Browsing API and a Spam view in Google Drive that is similar to Gmail and automatically separates potentially harmful or abusive files, which users can then review.

The search giant added that it is expanding its Safe Browsing API to flag child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in video content, along with launching an “About This Image” image search tool that provides users with more context to ensure reliable access to trustworthy information.

According to Fitzpatrick, this image search feature provides users with important context like when an image or similar images were first indexed by Google, where it may have first appeared, and where else it was seen online like news sites.

The updates come a week after Google enabled password-free sign-in using verification codes on Google Accounts across all platforms.

Last month, tech giant Google also issued a new data deletion policy that requires app developers to provide “easily discoverable options” to users from both inside and outside the app.

Google revealed that its improved security features and app review process helped it block 1.43 million bad apps from being published to the Play Store in 2022. Additionally, the company said it banned 173,000 bad accounts and addressed more than $2 billion in fraudulent and abusive transactions through its developer features.

Google added that adding identity verification methods like phone numbers and email addresses to join Google Play has helped reduce accounts used to publish apps that violate Google's policies.

Phan Van Hoa