Google to alert Gmail users of ”government backed attacks”

Apple isn’t alone in blocking government-backed security breaches. Google has also announced that it will let users know if they are being targeted by a state sponsored hacker using a new warning. The company said it will also be increasing the visibility of other types of Gmail security warnings to try and help people better […]

Apple isn’t alone in blocking government-backed security breaches. Google has also announced that it will let users know if they are being targeted by a state sponsored hacker using a new warning.
The company said it will also be increasing the visibility of other types of Gmail security warnings to try and help people better protect themselves.
“Since 2012, we’ve warned Gmail users when we suspect they’ve being targeted by state-sponsored attackers,” Google said in a blog post.
“These warnings are rare – fewer than 0.1 per cent of users ever receive them – but they are critically important.
“The users that receive these warnings are often activists, journalists, and policy-makers taking bold stands around the world.” Google will now provide full-page warning with instructions about how these users can stay safe. Users may see these new warnings instead of, or in addition to, the existing ones, Google added.
The move comes as the world’s leading tech companies backed civil liberties advocate who filed court papers backing Apple in its fight with the FBI over an encrypted iPhone used by an extremist killer.
Google’s padlock alert 
If the account the user is sending it to is encrypted, the padlock will show as locked.
This means users can go ahead and send the email without worrying that someone will be able to read it who isn’t supposed to.
If they receive a message that can’t be authenticated, they’ll also see a question mark where they may otherwise see a profile photo or logo. They can then choose to send the data or not.