Google Enhances Spam Protection and Adds Sensitive Content Warnings in Messages

Google Messages Enhances Safety Features

• Spam and Scam Protection: Enhanced scam detection is being added to protect users from messages that may seem harmless but can lead to fraud. This feature uses an on-device machine learning model to automatically move suspicious messages to the spam folder or warn the user.
• Sensitive Content Warnings: A new feature will identify and blur nudity in received images, with a warning before sending or forwarding such content. This is designed to prevent accidental sharing and raise awareness of the risks involved.
• Public Key Verification: Google is building a unified system for public key verification across different messaging apps, using QR code scanning or number comparison to verify contacts' identities.
• Unknown Sender Warnings: The app will warn users when they receive links from unknown senders and block messages with suspicious links. This feature has been piloted in several countries and is rolling out globally later this year.
• International Sender Filtering: Messages from international senders who are not existing contacts will be automatically hidden in the Spam & blocked folder, with a pilot program starting in Singapore.

These features aim to enhance user safety and privacy, with many of them being rolled out over the coming months to Android 9+ devices.