Google has taken a significant step towards online protection by introducing a new feature in its Google Chrome browser that promises to give users a safer and more private browsing experience. Safe Browsing, a well-known feature for those using Google Chrome, has now been enhanced with real-time checks, a major advantage in the fight against dangerous websites and phishing attempts.
Google, until now, says that Safe Browsing in Google Chrome has protected users by automatically adding suspicious URLs to a list that the company keeps stored locally on the user's device. This method, however, had the limitation that Google updated the local database at time intervals of between 30 and 60 minutes, thus allowing dangerous sites, which appear and disappear in a short time, to avoid detection.
Google, to address this issue, has introduced an enhanced protection mode in Safe Browsing, which uses Google Chrome's server database to identify and block unsafe sites in real time. However, for maximum protection, users are encouraged to allow Google to collect more security-related data, which involves a voluntary act of opt-in.
Google Announces HUGE Changes for Google Chrome Worldwide
Google says the innovation comes with the promise of increased privacy, as the company has developed an API that prevents the company from seeing the URLs of sites visited. Instead, URLs are verified in real-time and an encrypted version is sent to a privacy server operated by Fastly, which removes any potential user identifiers, including IP addresses, without being able to decrypt the URL.
After this process, the encrypted information is sent to the Google Chrome Safe Browsing database over a secure TLS connection, combining the request with those of other users. This mechanism allows Google to detect and block dangerous sites without compromising user privacy, guaranteeing that no party will be able to see the user's IP address or URLs in their full form.
Google estimates that the new method will improve Google Chrome's ability to block phishing attempts by up to 25%. Although both Standard and Enhanced modes now offer real-time checks, Google emphasizes that Enhanced mode continues to offer superior protection thanks to additional features such as the use of artificial intelligence to block attacks, deep file scans, and protection against dangerous Chrome extensions.
Google has released the update for Standard mode is available on Chrome for desktop and iOS, with the Android release coming later this month. This development underscores Google's commitment to providing a secure and private browsing experience, while strengthening Chrome's position as the leader in the web browser market.
