Google at the virtual Google for India event on Wednesday, launched a newly enhanced Google Safety Centre in eight Indic languages as part of its efforts to step up the safety of users on the internet. The programme that is already live in some global markets includes an interactive experience called ‘Interland’ to help children learn the fundamentals of online safety while playing free arcade games.

Google additionally announced that it had ‘significantly’ expanded Google Play support teams in the country to work better with its partners and users in the country in various areas, including user safety.

The tech giant has also launched an updated Google Safety Centre in eight Indic languages and introduced an online safety-focused programme ‘Be Internet Awesome’ for kids in the country. In partnership with Indian comic book publisher Amar Chitra Katha to interweave critical internet safety lessons across eight Indian languages. 

The new announcements from Google are aimed at bolstering Internet safety among Indian users.

Google has significantly increased its resources dedicated to India’s Trust Safety teams, including product policy analysts, security specialists, and user trust experts that support more than 10 vernacular Indian languages, enabling its central teams to benefit from the local nuance and inputs.

Delivering the keynote at the event, the father of the internet, Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google, said, “The internet we experience today has exceeded all my initial estimations. With lower barriers to internet access, users across the world have benefited, but bad actors have also gained entry. With the increasing user adoption and the contribution of digital connectivity in India’s economy, we cannot take the internet for granted. Since the pandemic broke, there is a heightened need to strengthen safety and security, reliability and privacy, and the overall resilience of the internet and its applications. In addition to helping users build better digital skills, we need to develop tools to aid them in their quest for safety, so that companies, individuals, researchers, and governments can harness the internet for good, whilst protecting themselves from harm.”

This will help Google India continue its campaign against existing and emerging abuse areas, such as misinformation, fraud, threats to child safety, violent extremism, phishing attacks, and malware, the company said.

Sanjay Gupta, Country Manager and Vice President, Google India, said, “Over the past fifteen years, we at Google have had the privilege of playing a role in India’s digital transformation. As we continue to invest in making the internet helpful for over a billion Indians, we value the trust our users place in us more than anything else.”

This will also further strengthen Google’s global trust and safety operations of over 20,000 people spread across the world who are dedicated to identifying, fighting, and preventing online harm.

Kristie Canegallo, Vice President, Trust and Safety, Google, said, “With more and more users coming online, there’s no doubt that the internet plays a central role in supporting India’s ongoing national momentum. Therefore, it is critical that we do all we can to bolster user confidence in digital space.”

During the virtual event, Android and Google Play Vice President Sameer Samrat also announced the upcoming JioPhone Next as the first in its category to offer “premium phone capabilities”, “solid framework of safety and security”, “latest Android releases and security updates”, and “Google’s world-class security and malware protection”. The smartphone that was announced in partnership between Google and Jio is due to go on sale on September 10.