Google has officially expanded the security capabilities of Chrome by integrating its on-device AI model, Gemini Nano, into the browser’s Enhanced Protection system. This update, now live on desktop, is designed to shield users from remote tech support scams — even those the company hasn’t previously identified.
The tech giant emphasized that Gemini Nano is uniquely suited for this task due to its ability to interpret the complex and ever-evolving structure of websites. “Its strength lies in adapting quickly to unfamiliar scam tactics,” Google stated. The company also revealed plans to bring this capability to Android devices in the near future.
Alongside the desktop upgrade, Android users will benefit from another layer of scam defense, specifically targeting deceptive push notifications sent through Chrome. This feature relies on an on-device machine learning model to flag suspicious alerts. When a potential threat is detected, users will receive a prompt allowing them to either unsubscribe or inspect the blocked content. Google notes that if the user disagrees with the warning, they can opt to continue receiving notifications from the site in question.
Protecting users from fraud has become a top priority for Google in recent years. Back in May 2024, the company unveiled a call-time scam alert system, and more recently, it launched new security enhancements in its Messages app. According to Google, these combined efforts are now blocking hundreds of millions of scam attempts across its platforms.
