As India begins implementing the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, Google India has showcased a suite of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and new scam-defence tools designed to protect users across the country.
Speaking at Google India’s AI Pre-Summit event in New Delhi on November 20, senior IT Ministry official Vikash Chourasia emphasized that PETs such as federated learning, homomorphic encryption, and differential privacy will play a central role in enabling real-world enforcement of the DPDP law.
Chourasia, who helped draft the legislation, compared the DPDP’s rollout to buying a car:
“We now have to drive it. PETs are the core engines that will help us actually implement the DPDP Act,” he said. He added that the government is looking to deepen collaborations with academic institutions and research groups, including upcoming meetings with IIT Madras’ Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI).
DPDP Act enters active phase—select provisions live
The IT Ministry recently notified the DPDP Rules, 2025, putting India on the path toward a fully functional privacy framework. But only some parts of the law—such as amendments to the RTI Act and the formation of the Data Protection Board (DPB)—are currently active.
Core compliance requirements like explicit user consent, data breach notifications, and personal data safeguards will roll out over the next 18 months, with different timelines for startups and large tech companies.
Google ramps up AI-driven safety features for Indian users
At the same event, Google detailed new safety initiatives aimed at tackling India’s fast-growing cybercrime landscape. The company highlighted a “multi-layered” approach combining device-level protections, AI-enabled threat detection, and partnerships with the broader ecosystem.
📱 Real-time scam detection on Pixel phones
A new feature powered by Gemini Nano will analyze calls locally on the device and alert users to potential scams—without recording audio or sharing data with Google.
- Off by default
- Only works on calls from unknown numbers
- Includes an audible beep to alert participants
- Can be disabled anytime
⚠️ New protection against digital arrest scams
With digital arrest scams on the rise, Android 11+ users will now receive prominent on-screen warnings when they attempt to share their screen with unknown callers during a financial interaction.
This feature has been built in partnership with Google Pay, Navi, and Paytm and lets users instantly stop both the call and screen-sharing with a single tap.
🔐 SIM-based verification to replace OTPs
Google introduced a new protocol called Enhanced Phone Number Verification (ePNV)—a secure, SIM-based alternative to the widely used SMS OTP process, which is often exploited by fraudsters.
🛡️ Google Pay & Play Protect ramp up security
- Google Pay now issues over 1 million fraud warnings weekly.
- Google Play Protect has blocked more than 115 million attempts to install sideloaded apps misusing sensitive permissions often linked to financial scams.
India at the forefront of global privacy innovation
The AI Pre-Summit event is part of a series of gatherings leading up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, which will be the Global South’s first large-scale AI summit. Previous editions were held in Bletchley Park, Seoul and Paris.
Experts at the event agreed that India’s scale, digital adoption, and regulatory transformation make it a global proving ground for safe, responsible AI.