Indian net users more conscious about online safety: Google India

Internet users in India are more conscious about their online safety, internet giant Google said today as it rolled out several new features and resources aimed at protecting users online.

Last year, Google India released a set of search trends that pointed towards the demand for greater cyber security.

According to the trends, the year had seen 20 per cent more searches for "change password" and 97 per cent more searches for "two-step verification".

Two-step verification required more than a password to sign into users' Google account, such as a 6-digit code that was sent to their phone for more protection.

According to Google, in the past year itself, there had been 591 per cent more searches for "how to track a lost phone".

In order to ramp up the online security, Google was offering initiatives like simplifying security settings to make trustworthy messages easier to spot in Gmail.

Google will also drive multiple initiatives to drive awareness about online safety among Indian internet users.

"With an increase in the number of users coming online and the rise in the penetration of smartphone users in India, we at Google are committed to offering users a safe Internet experience," Sunita Mohanty, director, trust and safety, Google India said in a statement.

"We are adding five million new users a month taking the user base of connected' Indians to 500 million online by 2018-2019. It's more important now than ever before to ensure the data and profiles of these users are safe online," Mohanty added.

It was more important now than every before to ensure that the data and profiles of these users were safe online, she added.

Google would launch several initiatives to drive awareness about online safety among Indian internet users, including letting them take quick security check-up and allowing them to review manage Google Account's security settings, it added.

97 per cent more searches for 'Two Step Verification'.

Trends relating to queries had also revealed that there had been a 591 per cent more rise in queries like 'How to track a lost phone', the statement said.