Gmail is “more secure” than the UK parliament's email system.
Gmail logo
That is according to Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, who has faced a number of cyber attacks over recent years, and has suggested that Google's email system was better than that used by the government.
He told BBC Radio 4's 'Today' show: "I was told by friends at GCHQ that I was better off sticking to Gmail, rather than using the parliamentary system, because it was more secure.
“Frankly, that tells you the level of security and the priority we're giving to democracy in the United Kingdom.”
Tom thinks China and Iran were behind some of the cyber attacks against him.
Tarah Wheeler, a cyber-security fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, has hailed the security levels of Gmail, saying it's a "very safe" choice.
She said: "It’s what I, and many other security professionals, use for our email and recommend to family members."
Tarah admitted it's often tough for governments to strike the right balance between usability and security.
Speaking about the complex challenge, she added: "The IT administrators who work to balance all those things are often underfunded - and supporting them is incredibly important to increasing the security of governmental systems."