Google Chrome is now activated by default Improved safe browsing to protect you from malicious websites. But what exactly does this function do?

Google today announced important innovations for its Chrome browser. The most noticeable (and visible) change is the new, colorful design and deeper integration of the search engine into the browser. But there are also changes behind the scenes. Google Chrome wants to better protect you from phishing and will be making the change starting immediately Improved safe browsing as the default security level.

Improved safe browsing

Now stands for most users Safe browsing or have standard security enabled in their Chrome settings. If you have no idea what we’re talking about, open these settings and take a look Privacy and security. Safe Browsing ensures that when you click on a suspicious URL, an ominous red screen appears with a warning that the find is not safe. If you continue clicking, you do so at your own risk.

To determine whether a website should be blocked, Safe Browsing uses a list of suspicious domains. This list is created locally and updated approximately every thirty to sixty minutes. According to Google, the gaps in this network are still too large, as phishing links that have not yet been reported escape Safe Browsing’s checks. On average, a malicious URL only remains active for ten minutes.

Improved safe browsing, optimized security in Dutch, speeds up these checks and can determine in real time whether a website is suspicious or not. This should make it possible to stop at least 25 percent more malware and phishing threats in a timely manner, writes Google in a blog.

Optimized security will therefore become the default option from now on. The adjustment will be rolled out in the coming weeks and cannot be rejected. Not only will Safe Browsing be replaced as the default option, but it will also be completely disabled.

At the expense of privacy?

As we mentioned in our seven Google Chrome security tips, you may pay a price for using Enhanced Safe Browsing. The fine print states that the feature requests not only URLs for inspection, but also data about web pages, downloads, extension activity and system information to detect new threats.

This data can actually be used to map your entire surfing behavior. Google promises to only use this data for security purposes. Safe Browsing data will therefore not be shared with third parties via the Topics API, a new advertising system that Google plans to introduce as a replacement for cookies. The system is supposed to be privacy-friendly, but in reality you still receive targeted advertising based on your browsing habits.