Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
Google has started warning people when search results could potentially lead them to malicious code. The search giant is using data from the Stop Badware Coalition to flag sites that are potentially host to malicious software. (...) People who attempt to go to a Web site that has been identified as risky by the coalition are taken to a warning page.
P.S. commanderW's post raises an interesting question: Should Google bring up warning messages all the time, or only when the searcher is using an OS/browser which is genuinely at risk from the specific malware being flagged?
I guarantee you that once this is put in place someone is going to try to demand the same for websites w/ ' offensive' content, etc. etc ad infinitum.There already is an offensive content filter, and offensive content here may not be the same as offensive content elsewhere.
Their standards can change like the wind... ", & then turn to more political concerns, & thus censorship. I guarantee you that once this is put in place someone is going to try to demand the same for websites w/ ' offensive' content, etc. etc ad infinitum.
This is not censorship but censorship is not always a bad thing. For example, if you feel really strongly about it you should not be happy using Webmasterworld, which is openly moderated (or censored). That has not prevented it from being accepted as the yardstick forum for webmasters.
Also, as Powdork rightly points out, Google already offers their offensive content filter, which I am sure also gets it wrong on occasion. Google allow you to turn the offensive content filter on or off just as they are are offering you the option of visiting these websites.
Censorship is what Google are doing to their results in China. You have the choice, the Chinese don't.
if search engines take it upon themselves to warn of, & perhaps eventually ban websites based on the content that the user sees & has access to, then everyone is going to jump on the bandwagon & we'll all be buried w/all kinds of these warnings.
Just like I am buried in malicious spam and attempts to install malware on my PC? I spent the best part of a couple of weeks last month getting rid of malware from my PC and as a self-employed person it cost me a lot of money to do. I have no sympathy (or concerns) for those who engage in these activities.
The text of the proposed warning just does not read well. to my limited knowledge, simply visiting a site does not install or cause anything to be downloaded onto a computer.
I know you qualified this but you should remember that just about everything you see on a website is running on your computer. The website content is downloaded to your computer along with anything else the owners have chosen to code in.
Any activity like this is commendable since it will raise awareness amongst the general public. As more of them become aware these activities will be less profitable.
How will it work for us? through the toolbar? Will the 'malware fans' be able to turn it off?
Does anyone really believe that this would be done if the software couldn't tell the difference between scum and cookies?
You can bet Google's lawyers got to screen this long before it even got to testing.
And the press release I read said it would WARN - you'd make the decision:
ME: visits site with concealed download
GOOGLE: Hey, you, this site may contain a download. Didja know? Not sayin it's bad, just sayin you may wanna check. Or not?
ME: Go away, Big G, I lurve scams, frauds, malware and all such. Gimme more!
GOOGLE: Sure, baby, just tellin ya! Your choice!
And if it stops ANY instant messenger services, deliberately or accidentally, that's a bonus ;)
What's so bad about this? If it's legal to slip scumware into a download, buried on page 15 of the user agreement (And it is), then surely it's just as legal to say "are you sure you want this?".
Users have civil rights, as well as scumware merchants :)
For example, on a couple of my oldest sites, I still have stats code from an external service; I didn't realise until last month that the b***** were using it to launch pop-ups on my sites!
I'm a trusting soul - I'd even 'upgraded' the code when the company changed owners - I should have gone with my instincts and deleted it! (Nostalgia 3 Commonsense Nil)
I'm sure there's many thousands of people 'innocently' foisting pop-ups on their visitors in that way - but I'd still support pop-up blockers 110%!
Will things like this lead to even FEWER people taking active steps to protect their computer (and themselves)?
"I don't have to worry, if theres anything bad out there, google will tell me about it"
