Google’s Safety Tips To Online Users

Instead of simply letting you unleash potentially hazardous data out into the wild, Gmail is now programmed to issue a warning whenever you try to send or receive emails to/from someone without TLS encryption enabled. The company has implemented automated filtering in its advertising network.

Tech giant Google has announced the rollout of new authentication features in its popular Gmail email service. To access the security check, Google users have to go through their “My Account” page.

These changes do not directly harden users against any malicious attacks like some security upgrades do, but they do act to improve the security feedback users are given while using Gmail and hopefully will work to shame some providers into improving their TLS support or preventing some users from falling prey to malicious email schemes. Messages that can not be authenticated using a framework like DKIM or SPF will display a question mark in place of the usual photo/logo icon at the top left corner of the message window.

“And there are tons of other security measures running behind the scenes to keep your e-mail safe”, Rae-Grant said.

Google were also quick to point out that seeing a padlock doesn’t automatically mean danger, but they are encouraging users to “be extra careful about replying to, or clicking on links in messages that you’re not sure about. And with these updates, you’ll have the tools to make these kinds of decisions”.

While a Gmail user is protected by TLS encryption, there’s no way for them to know whether the email service they’re sending to or receiving from is also protected.

Google India, which has rolled out new features and resources to protect users online, said India is adding five million new users every month and is expected to have a userbase of “connected” Indians at 500 millions online by 2018-2019. The company said in 2014 that about 40 to 50 percent of emails between Gmail and other providers weren’t encrypted.