Google lines up new measures, cybersecurity roadshows, grants to bolster online safety in India

New Delhi: Tech titan Google on Thursday announced new online safety initiatives in India, including multi-city cybersecurity roadshows to upskill about 1,00,000 developers and digital safety-focused grants of USD 2 million from Google.org to community organisations.

All these efforts are aimed at strengthening the collective capability of the country's growing digital economy against cyber threats, Google said.

The measures are aimed at prioritising cybersecurity skilling, user awareness and support for high risk communities.

Announcing these initiatives at an event, Google said it will organise multi-city cybersecurity roadshows to upskill nearly 1,00,000 developers, IT and startup professionals across the country.

The company also announced a multilingual user awareness campaign supported by the IT ministry and Digital India Corporation to encourage internet users to adopt better practices for safer digital transactions.

It also announced digital safety-focused grants totalling USD 2 million (about Rs 16 crore) from Google.org in India to non profit organisations, including Collective Good Foundation, Point Of View, and HelpAge India "that will enable high-risk groups such as women, micro entrepreneurs, seniors, and the LGBTQIA+ community to leverage the opportunity of the internet with safety and confidence".

Speaking at the event, Sanjay Gupta, Vice President and Country Head, Google India, said, as India progresses towards becoming a truly digitally enabled economy, "it is critical that the opportunity of connectivity not come at the price of online safety, and we all come together to build a safer internet for millions of Indians".