Gmail has announced new security measures to protect users' emails from prying eyes. Any emails sent through Google's networks will be encrypted with HTTPS, meaning they can't be intercepted and read, The Washington Post reported.
Google announced the change in a blog post on Thursday.
"Your email is important to you, and making sure it stays safe and always available is important to us," Nicolas Lidzborski, head of Gmail security engineering, said in the blog post. "As you go about your day reading, writing, and checking messages, there are tons of security measures running behind the scenes to keep your email safe, secure, and there whenever you need it."
HTTPS, a secure communications protocol, will encrypt emails from your computer, throughout Google's network and from Google to the recipient, CNNMoney reported.
While the encryption and other safety measures will improve user privacy, emails still won't be entirely secure, the Post noted.
Google uses text in your emails to serve you ads, so something will have to access and comprehend them. Emails also leave the protection of Gmail when they're sent to other servers such as Yahoo or Microsoft.
Lidzborski credited the infamous Edward Snowden leak as part of Google's incentive to increase user privacy.
"In addition, every single email message you send or receive--100 percent of them--is encrypted while moving internally. This ensures that your messages are safe not only when they move between you and Gmail's servers, but also as they move between Google's data centers--something we made a top priority after last summer's revelations," Lidzborski said in the blog post."
Even though Gmail is encrypted, the government can still access your emails if the FBI sends a National Security Letter to Google and demands their records. Google received Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act requests for around 20,000 users' communications in 2012 alone, according to CNNMoney.
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