Google to scale up AI-powered fraud detection and security operations in India

Summary

Google has unveiled its Safety Charter in India, which will expand its AI-led developments for fraud detection and combating scams across the country, the company’s largest market outside the United States. Digital fraud in India is rising. Fraud related to the Indian government’s instant payment system UPI grew 85% year-over-year to nearly 11 billion Indian rupees ($127 million) last year, per the government’s data. India also saw several instances of digital arrest scams, where fraudsters pose as officials to extort money via video calls and predatory loan apps. With its Safety Charter, Google aims to address some of these areas. The company has also launched its security engineering center in India, its fourth center after Dublin, Munich, and Malaga. Announced at the Google for India summit last year, the security engineering center (GSec) will allow Google to partner with the local community, including government, academia and students, and small and medium enterprises to create solutions to solve cybersecurity, privacy, safety, and AI problems, said Google VP of security engineering Heather Adkins in an interview with TechCrunch. Google has partnered with the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to raise awareness of cybercrimes, the company said in a blog post. This builds upon the company’s existing work, including the launch of its online fraud identification program, DigiKavach, which debuted in 2023 to restrict the harmful effects of malicious financial apps and predatory loan apps. With its GSec in India, Google will focus on three key areas, Adkins told TechCrunch: the phenomenon of online scams and fraud and how people are safe online; the cybersecurity of enterprises, government, and critical infrastructure; and building responsible AI. “These three areas will become part of our safety charter for India, and over the coming years… we want to use the fact that we have engineering capability here to solve for what’s happ...