Google is urging users to activate its Enhanced Safe Browsing feature via numerous alerts in Gmail that keep coming back, even after you acknowledge them.
Enhanced Safe Browsing was released in 2007 as an upgrade to Google's standard Safe Browsing feature that warns users when they visit known phishing and malware sites.
The difference between the two security features is that Safe Browsing will compare a visited site to a locally stored list of domains, compared to Enhanced Safe Browser, which will check if a site is malicious in real-time against Google's cloud services.
While it may seem like Enhanced Safe Browsing is the better way to go, there is a slight trade-off in privacy, as Chrome and Gmail will share URLs with Google to check if they are malicious and temporarily associate this information with your signed-in Google account.
Google pushing Enhanced Safe Browsing feature
Over the last week, I received five alerts urging me to turn on Enhanced Safe Browsing, despite declining the offer each time. Other BleepingComputer journalists were also shown the alerts when in Gmail.
Source: BleepingComputer
A banner with the message "Get additional protection against phishing. Turn on Enhanced Safe Browsing to get additional protection against dangerous emails" persistently shows up in Gmail on both Chrome for Windows and Android, providing users with two options: 'Continue' and 'No, thanks'.
Source: BleepingComputer
While the intent behind the feature is understandable - safeguarding users from potential online threats - Google's aggressive push towards its adoption raises issues.
Firstly, it seems to overlook user choice. Every time a user clicks 'No, thanks', the expectation is that their choice is respected and registered. However, the recurrence of these alerts suggests otherwise.
Such persistent reminders may feel intrusive to some users, bordering on nagging.
Furthermore, there's a privacy concern tied to this feature. When users are signed in to Chrome, the data related to Safe Browsing is temporarily linked to their Google Account.
Google justifies this by stating, "We do this so that when an attack is detected against your browser or account, Safe Browsing can tailor its protections to your situation. After a short period, Safe Browsing anonymizes this data so it is no longer connected to your account."
However, despite the promised benefits, not all users may be comfortable linking their Google account to Chrome or their browsing data to their Google account.
In an era where data privacy is a growing concern, users should have the right to make informed decisions about their online safety measures without being constantly nudged toward a particular choice.
With that said, Enhance Safe Browsing will provide you with increased security in Gmail by protecting you from links to malicious phishing and malware sites in your emails.
If you are sick of the warnings or just want better security, even though you may have reduced privacy, you can enable the feature by following these steps:
- Open your Google Account.
- Click on Security
- Scroll down to Enhanced Safe Browsing and click on Manage Enhanced Safe Browsing.
- Toggle the Enhanced Safe Browsing setting to enabled.
BleepingComputer reached out to Google about the repeated prompts and will update the story if we receive a response.
Comments
Penismightier - 10 months ago
Why are you using a browser to check mail?
cyberwolfe - 10 months ago
"Why are you using a browser to check mail?"
You're joking right?
ThomasMann - 10 months ago
This is one of the problems that cannot be avoided, no matter how much you try to avoid this disgusting companie's money grabbing, which they call data-collecting.
There was an issue, which I cannot remember, for which I needed an gmail address. So occasionally I still want to check there, but it is unbelievable insulting what this most corrupt and criminal of all digital corportions demands in data from users, to allow them to access "your own" e-mail account. As the author wrote, NO ONE has ever asked to employ extra security. This ONLY serves their data stealing!
While Google is anyway something that should only be touched with thongs, if it cannot be avoided, this security B.S., or rather what companies like cloudfdlare & Co call security, is slowly taking over the internet... If you rely on the net for information, like newspapers or similar, every day you are forced by a machine, at least several times, to prove to a machine that you are human.
TsVk! - 10 months ago
If you don't want their safe browsing just use another mail service and browser. It's not like anyone is compelled in any way to use these services.
The Big G already knows everywhere you go online and who you talk to if you are deep in their ecosystem, safe browsing changes nothing except to make browsing safer.
The machines are forcing you to prove you are human because they are under attack by other machines. That's all. It's not because they trigger your brain implant when you click the "I'm human" button.
Betageek52 - 10 months ago
Google is just one of the companies who share our data with the CIA, NSA, DIA or whomever. Them and AT&T and Verizon, etc., almost broke their necks to get the chance to 'share'. How nice. We weren't even asked if we cared about it, or anything. Just pass the Patriot Act, so we can get on with the business of tracking every living soul on the planet, 24/7/365.
Our Deep Black hidden government is off the rails, and they have brainwashed everyone to keep it this way, to include violence as just one tool.
Laugh at my comment at your peril, because it IS happening. If you find yourself using the EXACT SAME ARGUMENT, as half the voting public, it's mind control. They have used it since the 1950, because it WORKS. Deny it if you wish. Whatever helps you sleep at night. It's happening whether you see/believe/care about this, or not. I can even see how the rest of the veterans out there, are sucked in, because they cannot believe the government would stoop to this level. My Opinion: Y'all have been screaming "Vote 'em Out!" for 20 years, and it ain't happened as of today. Still the same lame politicos holding the same offices. Explain that.
I don't see that as making ANY sense, whatsoever. It's because you keep screaming it at the other party, like they will do as you say (demand, require, suggest). They doing the same thing back at you. How is this conversation worthy of accomplishing anything?
Y'all have been " WEAPONIZED" against each others' political stance, and it shows.
Something big is coming, I can feel it. I don't think it's going to be good for us... Since the body politic seems to have come down with some serious illness, that has paralyzed it from helping itself.
U_Swimf - 10 months ago
used to think comments like yours were paranoid lunacy.. But i have come to learn to be more open minded when it comes to whatever i read from my screens. It is important to recognize that there are some major complex things that kinda tie the hands of any new comers whom hope to make changes or go against prevailing winds ...
it didnt have to be, and isnt always, but lately is FAR more complicated that any one will probably ever know...
i made this discovery the other day that reminded me of the "Safe Browsing " google thing.. it was in relation to the owners who occupy the s3arch web browser, or perhaps was a plugin of sorts years ago... it was literally called Safe Search by a now notorious group of "security experts and pprofessionals" that at some pount was linked to ransomware in some way shape or form..
but the truly intersting part was visiting youtube, finding a video that was old enough to show removal of the browser redirector known as s3arch.... and it's idea they patented or trademarked in the 90s... But if you check their domain today in how it looks, it is identical artwork to what the chromium developers were using for their now considered legacy devices...
TsVk! - 10 months ago
It is paranoid lunacy. Just because you keep reading the same thing does not mean it's true, it just means there are more paranoid lunatics who are vocal than sane people who facepalm at it. Like most people know Coronavirus is real, but if you bring up the subject online it appears that 9 in 10 people thinks it's massive political conspiracy to steal freedom and control people, blah, blah, blah. An extremely vocal minority.
It's the best and the worst thing about the net. It's a platform for everyone. So there's many people behaving asses, using shouty caps, fearing things they don't understand and blaming other organizations and people for their non-comprehension. It's kind of ironic when we drill down into it.
Shplad - 10 months ago
TsVk!
I suggest you do some reading and watching of authoritative content. You're incorrect in more way that you can possibly imagine.
TsVk! - 10 months ago
Ah I see, Ive been weaponized and brainwashed, coronavirus is a plot, mass misinformation by tiny minorities online isn't a thing, the internet isn't for everyone, by repeating falsities people don't assume legitimacy, Big G doesn't already know everything you do if you use their systems so need to create ways to do it, capcha is a form of population control... that's the inverse of everything I said. So that's all correct? Right?
The ways that we are being monitored are written in black and white. There's no "Deep Black hidden government", it's just the government. If you want to enter a position of power you must be powerful or popular. It has always been that way. It's nothing new.
Want to know something that is new... proliferate capitalism taking over our government agencies by tender and outsourcing. But even that's not a conspiracy. It's just something that's happening now because of greed and legalized corruption (lobbying), and will need to be undone in the future. It's obviously not sustainable.