Google never stops developing new ideas, and here’s one of their latest. Google’s search engine now offers a warning message located above any resulting website that Google has determined to be potentially harmful to your computer. The warning label states “This site may harm your computer”, and it identifies the websites that may install malicious software on your computer. However, the warning message is just the first line of defense against harmful sites. If you click on the website a warning page will open instead of the potentially hazardous site. This warning is impossible to ignore and it includes a link to a site dedicated to preventing badware.
I think this is a fantastic feature to have on a search engine. With the heightened awareness of privacy issues and identity thefts that occur online, people are extra careful about the websites they visit and where they reveal personal information online. I commend the fact that Google is investing their resources in fighting the security problems that plague the web. In addition, this feature may help to extend the average life of computers.
Many people choose to use the Google search engine over Yahoo! and others because search results are returned faster and the most relevant sites are listed according to the search criteria. The new warning label does not increase the time of a search, but it does add an extra step to access a website that is deemed harmful. Clicking on a harmful site will not immediately direct the user to that site, but rather require them to confirm their choice after an automatic warning window pops up. Does the added security measure provide enough benefit to justify an extra step to open a website, and the time that it takes? I guess it depends on who you ask.
In recent news, last Saturday Google’s warning message experience a little glitch. For about one hour the result of every Google search returned websites that were all tagged with the harmful warning. Google explained the incident as a human error, and it was quickly corrected. This glitch did not have a lasting affect on Google’s search engine as it continues to account for about 70 percent of all Internet searches.
I think this is a fantastic feature to have on a search engine. With the heightened awareness of privacy issues and identity thefts that occur online, people are extra careful about the websites they visit and where they reveal personal information online. I commend the fact that Google is investing their resources in fighting the security problems that plague the web. In addition, this feature may help to extend the average life of computers.
Many people choose to use the Google search engine over Yahoo! and others because search results are returned faster and the most relevant sites are listed according to the search criteria. The new warning label does not increase the time of a search, but it does add an extra step to access a website that is deemed harmful. Clicking on a harmful site will not immediately direct the user to that site, but rather require them to confirm their choice after an automatic warning window pops up. Does the added security measure provide enough benefit to justify an extra step to open a website, and the time that it takes? I guess it depends on who you ask.
In recent news, last Saturday Google’s warning message experience a little glitch. For about one hour the result of every Google search returned websites that were all tagged with the harmful warning. Google explained the incident as a human error, and it was quickly corrected. This glitch did not have a lasting affect on Google’s search engine as it continues to account for about 70 percent of all Internet searches.
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