In the wake of the recent controversy surrounding the data monitoring activities of the United States’ National Security Agency (NSA),
Google has toughened its Gmail encryption. The move will make it more difficult for anyone to view data moving between Google data centers around the world. The changes have been applied to all of Google’s 425 million Gmail accounts, and Yahoo has suggested it will mirror Google’s steps shortly.
In June, 2013, Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee and NSA contractor, started releasing a range of classified material to British newspaper “The Guardian” and American newspaper “The Washington Post”. His revelations suggested that NSA Internet surveillance programs - with codenames like PRISM, MUSCULAR (an operation conducted in conjunction with Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) – a British agency whose role includes data monitoring), XKeyscore and Tempora - routinely monitored key web-based email services like Gmail and Yahoo Mail. Data from these mails was apparently stored at the NSA’s headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland.
“Starting today, Gmail will always use an encrypted HTTPS connection when you check or send email. Gmail has supported HTTPS since the day it launched, and in 2010 we made HTTPS the default,” suggested Gmail Security Engineering Lead Nicolas Lidzborski on the Google Blog. “Today's change means that no one can listen in on your messages as they go back and forth between you and Gmail’s servers—no matter if you're using public WiFi or logging in from your computer, phone or tablet,” he added.
Can Google protect your data from government agencies? Let us know your thoughts. Add your comments below.
