Google is introducing a major security update for Messages
Google has never really been considered one of the leading players in secure messaging room, where WhatsApp and Signal are central. However, a new Google Messages security update announcement could help change the narrative with features like improved protection against scams and content warnings. Here’s what you need to know.
The 5 new ways Google protects your messages
The Oct. 22 announcement confirmed five new protections that Google said will help keep your messages safe. It was posted to the Google Security Blog by Jan Jedrzejowicz, product director for Android and business communications, along with Alberto Pastor Nieto, senior product manager for Google Messages, RCS Spam and Abuse, and a few others.
What are the new protections this Google Messages security update brings to Android’s secure messaging party, in addition to existing end-to-end encrypted RCS conversations with other Messages RCS users?
Improved detection protection
First on the list comes via what Google calls enhanced detection protection. It is designed to protect against the common phishing scams that affect us all, such as false package delivery notifications. Google is now rolling this out to beta users. It provides improved analysis of texts and automatically moves anything risky to your spam folder or provides a pop-up warning. “Google Messages uses on-device machine learning models to classify these scams,” Google says, “so your conversations remain private and the content is never sent to Google unless you report spam.”
Intelligent alerts
Next up will be intelligent alerts to flag potentially dangerous links, something that has already been rolled out to some geographic locations and, Google says, will expand globally before the end of the year.
International sender controls
Number three are controls to disable messages from unknown international senders, making it easy to automatically hide messages that aren’t already in your contacts. This is initially being rolled out to limited locations, but will reach more countries in due course.
Blur nudity
The fourth step in this security update for Google Messages comes through alerts for sensitive content. This is pretty much what it says on the box: Control over which images with nudity you may be exposed to. “Sensitive content warnings is an optional feature that blurs images that may contain nudity before viewing them,” Google said, “and then prompts with a ‘speed bump’ that provides help finding resources and options, including to content to view.” Again, this is all done on the device to protect privacy. Importantly, the feature is opt-in for adults, but opt-out for those under 18.
Contact verification
And finally, improved message confirmation is coming to the Google Messages table. This is aimed at protecting against more advanced threats, especially contact impersonation. This is coming soon in the form of a contact verification feature for Android users to ensure you know who you’re talking to. “This new feature lets you verify your contacts’ public keys so you can confirm you’re communicating with the person you want to message,” Google said. “We are creating a unified system for public key verification across apps. which you can verify by scanning QR codes or comparing numbers.”
This new security update for Google Messages is a step in the right direction for Google
While not all of these security updates for Google Messages will be available to all users in all regions at the same time, together they show that Google understands the importance of not only improving security in the background, but also doing so in a highly visible way. to increase user confidence in the Messages product. “We’re committed to continually developing new controls and features to make your conversations on Google Messages even more secure and private,” Google said.
