I'm not sure if it's far fetched, but instead of creating more security for gmail users, perhaps this is a deliberate attempt for people to start requesting tha

I'm not sure if it's far fetched, but instead of creating more security for gmail users, perhaps this is a deliberate attempt for people to start requesting that "lock" next to their email address (especially businesses), and as such create a surge in providers adopting secure communication? Because that's the biggest impact this will have, and as such, will mostly indirectly increase security for google's users.