Google Makes It Easier to Report Suspicious Sites

Google has launched two new features designed to keep everyone safe while online. The first is a new Chrome extension that allows you to report suspicious sites. The second is a new warning designed to keep Chrome users away from said suspicious sites.

What Is Google Safe Browsing?

Google Safe Browsing is designed to keep web users safe from bad actors. Google maintains a blacklist of websites known to host malware or phishing elements. Anyone using Chrome (and a number of other browsers) are then directed away from these sites.

Google claims Safe Browsing protects more than 4 billion devices every day. However, the company is always looking at ways to improve Safe Browsing, and its latest attempt to do so means asking you to help identify and report suspicious sites Google itself has missed.

Google Launches Suspicious Site Reporter

In a post on the Chromium Blog, Google has launched a new Chrome extension called Suspicious Site Reporter. This extension gives you an easy way to report suspicious sites to Google Safe Browsing. And do your bit in keeping the web safe for everyone to use.

Safe Browsing works by analyzing sites using Google Search web crawlers. It then uses this data to create lists of sites that are “dangerous or deceptive”. The Suspicious Site Reporter adds a human element by asking you to report suspicious sites.

???? new launches today! suspicious site reporter extension helps you report malicious/deceptive sites to Safe Browsing, + new warning protects you from URLs you might confuse with sites you visited recently https://t.co/3ropURdBga cc @estark37 @livvielin @madmad_min

— emily schechter (@emschec) June 18, 2019

All you need to do is install the extension and start browsing the web. Then, when you land on a potentially suspicious site, you’ll see an icon. Clicking the icon will report the site to Safe Browsing, allowing Google to further evaluate it.

Alongside Suspicious Site Reporter, Google has also added a new warning designed to direct people away from sites that have confusing URLs. Google cites the example of someone visiting Go0gle.com instead of Google.com. This warning is new to Chrome 75.

Download: Suspicious Site Reporter for Google Chrome

Help Google Help Everyone Stay Safe While Online

Google may have its faults, but the company clearly wants to keep people safe when they’re online. Safe Browsing has been helping achieve this for over 10 years already. And now, with Suspicious Site Reporter, Google is asking us all to do our bit to help.

We shouldn’t be relying on Google—or any technology companies for that matter—to keep us safe online though. The best thing you can do is learn what threats are out there, and then maintain these important habits to stay safe and secure online.

Image Credit: Isaac Bowen/Flickr

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