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Google introduces My Ads Center to increase safety on the web
Mon, 17th Oct 2022
FYI, this story is more than a year old

More cyberattacks than ever are happening on a broader, global scale. The targets of these attacks are not only large companies or government agencies but hospitals, energy providers, banks, schools and individuals. 

Google keeps people’s data safe and secure through security technology, automatic built-in protections, and ongoing vulnerability research and detection.

Specialised teams work around the clock to combat current and emerging cyber threats. Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has been tracking critical cyber activity to help inform Ukraine, neighboring countries in Europe, and others of active threat campaigns in relation to the war.

Google has expanded their support for Project Shield to protect the websites of 200+ Ukrainian government entities, news outlets and more.

Cybersecurity concerns are not limited to war zones; more than 80% of Americans say they’re concerned about the safety and privacy of their online data.

Account safety status: 

Safety status is now added to the apps to customers do not have to worry about the security of their Google account. These updates will feature a yellow alert icon on your profile picture that will flag actions you should take to secure your account. 

Phishing protection in Google Workspace: 

Google is scaling the phishing and malware protections that guard Gmail to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.  

Automatic 2-step verification: 

Continuing towards a more secure, passwordless future with 2-step verification (2SV) auto-enrollment to help people instantly boost the security of their Google accounts and reduce their risk of getting phished. This builds on Google’s work last year to auto-enrol 150+ million accounts in 2SV and successfully reduce account takeovers.

Visual cards: 

As people shop more online, keeping payment information safe and secure is critically important. Google is launching virtual cards on Chrome and Android. 

When you use autofill to enter your payment details at checkout, virtual cards will add a layer of security by replacing your actual card number with a distinct virtual number. This eliminates the need to manually enter card details like the CVV at checkout, and they’re easy to manage at pay.google.com — where you can enable the feature for eligible cards, access your virtual card number, and see recent virtual card transactions. 

You’re in control of your personal information

Results about you in Search: 

When you’re using the internet, it’s important to control how your personal information can be found. With Google’s new tool to accompany updated removal policies, users can request the removal of Google search results containing their contact details, such as phone numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. 

My Ad Center: 

Google is in the process of launching more controls for ads privacy settings: a way of choosing which brands to see more or less of and an easier way to decide whether to personalise your ads. 

My Ad Center gives you control over the ads you see on YouTube, search, and your discover feed while being able to block and report ads. 

You’ll be able to choose the ads you want to see, such as fitness, vacation rentals or skin care.  

“We’re committed to designing products that are helpful and protect people’s privacy. Our engineers have pioneered and open-sourced numerous privacy preserving technologies,” says Google.