The rise of cyber attacks amidst the pandemic has led to numerous users being compromised. The cyber cold war has made each and every one of us vulnerable to data stealth and much more. Google’s initiative to redesign its browser’s desktop security and privacy settings is the one good step that must be appreciated. Rise of phishing is a problem as giant as the number of users browsing through various web pages. Google’s initiative is commendable as it will verily help people control their online safety themselves.
Google Chrome has handed over the security & privacy to the users who can now decide if and how cookies are going to be used, both in regular or Incognito mode on some or all sites. Site Settings controls are now split into two categories so it’s easier to find sensitive website permissions and a section called “You and Google” lets the user control which data is shared with the company. Google is also introducing “Safety Check” in settings. So, users will now be able to check their browser security. The tool tells users if passwords stored in the browser have been compromised or not. It also warns the user if Safe Browsing has already been disabled.
Incognito mode is going to have stronger privacy settings and will block third-party cookies by default. A new feature called the Enhanced Safe Browsing checks whether websites and downloads are dangerous by sending data to Google Safe Browsing. Google is also going to launch a Secure DNS that will use DNS-over-HTTPS to encrypt DNS lookup and block attackers from seeing which site the user is visiting.
“Keeping you safe and secure online is part of Chrome’s DNA. Along with providing strong default protections, we aim to give you accessible, intuitive, and useful controls so you can make choices that are right for you. So, today we’ve started rolling out new tools and a redesign of Chrome’s privacy and security settings on desktop, to help you control your safety on the web,” said AbdelKarim Mardini, Senior Product Manager in the company.
The full blog post can be read here.
