On Gmail, Google already offers an anti-spam filter. But to better protect Android users, the Mountain View firm is preparing a new Android feature that will allow you to connect to online services without having to give your real email address. Today, many of the services we use on the internet require the creation of an account or, at least, an email address. And the problem is that some sites can use this address to spread spam. The online services you use can also be victims of data leaks.
Google might offer to hide your real email address
Apple and DuckDuckGo have addressed this problem by creating features that allow logging into online services with a fake email address, which relay emails to the user’s real address. This avoids giving the real email address, so that this real address is not directly affected by spam campaigns or data leaks. And according to a recent article from Android Authority, Google is now working on a similar feature for Android users.
The ultimate anti-spam weapon for Android?
By digging into the Google Play Services code, our colleagues discovered references to a feature called “Shielded Email”. In addition to the fact that this name leaves no room for doubt, the character strings discovered by Android Authority also reveal the usefulness of this functionality, which allows you to create a fake email address that forwards mail to the main address, when registering for an online service. But that’s not all, since the site indicates that it was even able to activate the interface of this new functionality, even if it is not yet functional.
Google is increasingly focusing on the confidentiality and protection of its users
For the moment, caution remains in order, pending an official announcement from Google. But in any case, it should be noted that, recently, Google has continued to improve the protection of users of its Android platform. For example, recently the firm announced an artificial intelligence-based feature that is capable of analyzing call content to detect patterns typically used by scammers to deceive their targets. However, this feature is currently only available in beta in the United States, and only on Pixel smartphones.
- Google already offers an anti-spam filter on Gmail, but it could also offer, on Android, protection that allows you to hide the real email address when connecting to online services
- This device could be comparable to the protections already offered by Apple and DuckDuckGo
- Recently, Google also presented an AI that analyzes phone calls in real time to detect scams
