Liam Walsh
Liam is a Co-Director at Intelligency and heads up the agency's Digital Intelligence & Paid Social activity. Over the last decade, he has worked with brands from the world of sports such as Premier League clubs to entertainment such as Channel 4 and Disney.
Google is making some big changes to Gmail that aim to improve your experience, protect your inbox from spam, and boost security, but not without raising some concerns.
Less Spam in Your Inbox
The good news? Google is tightening its rules around spam, and it’s working. Many companies that send out bulk marketing emails are seeing their messages blocked or flagged as spam unless people regularly open and engage with them. That means you should see fewer unwanted messages cluttering your inbox.
Smarter Scams Are on the Rise
At the same time, a serious threat has come to light. A long-running email scam has been using fake login pages that look like real sites—Gmail, Outlook, banks, delivery companies—to trick people into entering their usernames and passwords. After stealing the information, the scam redirects victims to the real login page, making it seem like nothing happened.
These attacks have flown under the radar for years, using clever techniques to bypass security tools and hide behind trusted-looking links and websites.
Google’s AI and Privacy Debate
Google is also rolling out AI-powered tools in Gmail to help users manage their inboxes more efficiently. But not everyone is thrilled—some are worried about what it means for privacy if AI is scanning personal emails. Google says users remain in control and can switch off these features if they prefer.
New Encryption, but Limited Access
To further strengthen email security, Google is introducing end-to-end encryption. This means only the sender and receiver can read the email. However, it’s only available to business users for now and will be rolled out more broadly later.
Stay Safe Going Forward
Email is getting safer, but no system is perfect. Always be cautious of unexpected emails asking for login details. Use strong two-factor authentication or, even better, switch to passkeys if available. Staying alert is still your best line of defence.
