A new security project at Google has a notable rule. The company bans a number of employees from accessing the Internet.

Selected employees and any volunteers are part of a special security pilot at Google. The company bans this group from the Internet. This conspicuous measure was taken up by the American media company CNBC.

But why

A company like Google that keeps its employees off the internet sounds like the Pope banning its people from going to church, or Coca-Cola only allowing its employees to drink wine. The reason for this conspicuous project is that large tech companies are a particularly big target for cybercriminals.

Now that Google is planning to introduce various AI applications, such as Genesis or the AI ​​backgrounds for video conferences, the company wants to give its cyber security a big boost. Even with measures that may seem a bit draconian to the outside world.

If attackers manage to compromise the devices or systems of a single Google employee, the consequences can be severe. Through the people who work there, criminals aim to capture a lot of (sensitive) data. An insider told CNBC that, in fact, Google is a regular target of cyberattacks.

offline

2,500 people were hired for this project, which is not bad for a total of more than 178,000 people. Google also offers volunteers the option to opt-in, and those who wish can opt-out as well.

Project participants have to work on desktop computers with very limited internet access. Very limited and not completely offline as Google’s internal online tools and websites such as Gmail and Google Drive are still available. There will also be exceptions for employees who need to go online for certain aspects of their work when it is really necessary.