Google is significantly scaling up its artificial intelligence capabilities in India to combat digital fraud and cyber scams, as part of its newly announced Safety Charter initiative in its second-largest market.
This move comes amid growing concern over digital financial fraud in India, where scams linked to the government’s instant payments system, UPI, increased by 85% year-over-year, totaling almost 11 billion rupees ($127 million) last year alone. High-profile cases of digital extortion via video calls and fraudulent loan apps have also propelled cybersecurity concerns to the forefront.
To tackle these challenges, Google recently inaugurated a Security Engineering Center (GSec) in India—its fourth globally, after centers in Dublin, Munich, and Malaga. Initially announced at the Google for India Summit last year, GSec will enable the company to collaborate closely with governmental agencies, academia, small and medium-sized businesses, and student communities. According to Heather Adkins, Google’s Vice President of Security Engineering, the new center aims to craft solutions dedicated to cybersecurity, privacy, and responsible AI usage.
As part of the initiative, Google has established a partnership with India’s Ministry of Home Affairs and its Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), with the goal of raising public awareness about various types of online fraud. The Safety Charter expands earlier efforts such as “DigiKavach,” Google’s online fraud identification and prevention program, initially launched in 2023 to curb predatory financial apps.
Adkins explained Google’s Safety Charter would address three critical areas: preventing online scams and fraud, enhancing cybersecurity for governments, enterprises, and essential infrastructure, and fostering responsible use of AI technologies. “These three pillars will define our safety efforts in India for the foreseeable future,” Adkins underscored. “Leveraging our local engineering team, we aim to address threats close to the communities affected.”
Globally, Google has used AI extensively to combat online scams, blocking millions of suspicious ads and accounts. In India, it has incorporated AI-powered scam detection tools into widely used apps like Google Messages, which reportedly shield users from over 500 million suspicious text messages a month. Additionally, Google’s “Play Protect,” piloted in India last year, has blocked approximately 60 million high-risk app installations, preventing malicious apps from reaching over 13 million devices domestically. Similarly, Google Pay, a major player in India’s UPI payments landscape, has issued around 41 million alerts warning users of potentially fraudulent transactions.
Speaking further about security innovations and threats, Adkins noted the potential misuse of generative AI models by fraudulent actors is increasingly troubling. “We are closely monitoring AI’s capabilities,” Adkins stated, noting that scammers now employ advanced AI, such as large language models and deepfake technologies, to refine phishing tactics and enhance their credibility. Google aims to counteract these developments through rigorous testing and specialized frameworks, such as its Secure AI Framework, to limit the opportunities for misuse. Adkins likened the rapid evolution in generative AI security to the early days of the internet, emphasizing Google’s commitment to engaging collaboratively with the wider security and development community.
Addressing another critical security concern, Adkins described commercial surveillance vendors—such as NSO Group—and their spyware offerings as significant threats globally, but especially in a densely populated market like India. She noted that India serves as a particularly telling indicator for cybersecurity trends that could soon manifest elsewhere.
On a practical note, addressing multi-factor authentication (MFA), Adkins recognized the difficulties in encouraging universal adoption of advanced security practices, particularly given India’s diverse user demographics. While emphasizing that Google strongly advocates for MFA methods beyond simple passwords, she acknowledged that, culturally and practically, SMS-based authentication remains widely favored among Indian users for ease of use.
In all, Google’s expansion of its cybersecurity and AI capabilities in India represents a heightened commitment to safeguarding millions of digital users in one of the fastest-growing digital economies. Through targeted partnerships, local capacity building, and enhanced technological interventions, the company seeks to mitigate emerging digital threats and foster safer online practices nationwide.
