Google for India 2023: Google to launch Digi Kavach to protect Indian users from online scams

At the Google for India 2023 event, the company announced its new program called Digi Kavach for Indian users. It is designed to protect users from online scams and keep them safe.

Google announced a new safety tool for Indian users at the Google for India 2023 event called Digi Kavach. (Shaurya/HT Tech)

The Google for India 2023 event has just concluded. The big annual event took place in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan. A roundtable conference was also organized where senior executives of Google talked about various initiatives and programs in front of select people from the media. One of the major highlights was the announcement of the launch of Digi Kavach, a new program designed to keep users safe online and to protect them from scams. The project is being launched in India as a pilot project, and later the model will also be implemented in other countries.

Saikat Mitra, vice president and head of trust and safety, at APAC, made the big announcement and said that this program was born out of the concern of how to keep 1 billion people of India safe online. Digi Kavach was being launched as a comprehensive and collaborative program to keep users safe, he added. 

Mitra also highlighted the tech stack of this new tool and its scope in operability. He explained, “The first part is based upon our technology in our advancements, in AI and ML, which allows us to create really effective and fullest extent intelligence. So, on the first part, we are really looking at, not just tracking the modus operandi of scammers but identifying how they function and trying to predict how they're going to do things, what they are thinking”. 

Google to launch Digi Kavach to protect users online

On being asked whether it is a safety and fraud prevention tool, Mitra agreed and said that it is predominantly focused on financial scams in India. He also highlighted that Google is working with both RBI and NPCI and has created strong partnerships with both government agencies to ensure a transparent flow of information.

Mitra also highlighted some numbers based on the success they have already seen with Digi Kavach. He said that the tool has prevented scams worth Rs. 12 thousand crores in GPay.

On RBI, Mitra said, “I've said this many times that we (RBI and Google) are unified in this objective. RBI is trying to protect citizens in India, and we are trying to protect the users. It is the same mission. So, I think we are unified in what we are trying to achieve”. 

At the moment, the launch date of Digi Kavach is not known, but it is expected to roll out in the country soon.