Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, LinkedIn, and Comcast Partner to Secure Email

Advertisement
By Robin Sinha | Updated: 22 March 2016 17:58 IST
Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, LinkedIn, and Comcast Partner to Secure Email

Amidst the ongoing Apple-FBI controversy, some of the biggest tech companies have joined forces to deliver a new email mechanism called SMTP STS that is aimed at making user information more secure.

Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Comcast and LinkedIn have together submitted a proposal to the Internet Engineering Task Force for SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) STS (Strict Transport Security). The system checks if the domain a user is sending an email to supports SMTP STS or not, and also checks if the encryption certificate is authentic and up to date. If for some reason the mechanism detect any problem, it would not let the email pass through and will let the sender know the reason.

"SMTP STS is a mechanism enabling mail service providers to declare their ability to receive TLS-secured connections, to declare particular methods for certificate validation, and to request sending SMTP servers to report upon and/or refuse to deliver messages that cannot be delivered securely," said the proposal.

Email has long been one of the primary sources of digital communication, but with the rise of instant messaging apps, workplace collaboration apps, and social networks, it is slowly losing its dominance. It is always good to see companies like Google and other working on encrypting emails to make the personal more secure. Google itself uses the encryption method for its Gmail email service. Last month it tightened the security for its Gmail service by flagging those email providers that don't support Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption, which is aimed at ensuring a connection is secure before exchanging data between server ad client. Emails sent using such mail services will be flagged with a red broken lock icon on the top-right corner of the mail.

Advertisement

In addition, Gmail will flag emails received from contacts whose identity cannot be verified. The service will alert the receiver about the emails coming from unauthenticated sources by showing a question mark in place of the contact's profile photo.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. iPhone 17 Leaks: Camera Upgrades, New 'Air' Model & More
  1. China’s Dragon Man Skull Found to Belong to Denisovan Lineage
  2. Is Mars Really Red? A Physicist Explains the Science Behind Its Colour and More
  3. Scientists Spotted the Largest Comet Lying in the Solar System’s Outskirts with Outbursting Gases
  4. SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes During Ground Test at Texas Launch Pad
  5. NASA Postpones Axiom Mission 4 Launch to Ensure Space Station Readiness After Repairs
  6. Doom: The Dark Ages Review: Rip and Tear, Medieval Style
  7. Save Nalla Pasanga Now Streaming on Aha Tamil: Everything You Need to Know About Romantic Web Series
  8. Yugi Tamil Movie Now Streaming on Aha: A Gritty Tale of Crime, Surrogacy, and Revenge
  9. Lovely Now Available on Amazon Prime Video: What You Need to Know About Malayalam Fantasy Drama
  10. The Hunt- The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case OTT Release Date Revealed
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.