Google has teamed up with an anti-spyware organization to deliver warnings when searchers attempt to click on search links to sites suspected of hosting spyware or adware.
Using data from the Stop Badware Coalition, Google is notifying searchers that “The site you are about to visit may harm your computer.” The warning contains a link to the coalition’s general site, www.StopBadware.org, where users can learn more about the types of damage spyware and adware can cause. Users who want to reach the page after reading the warning can click a link to continue.
To begin we’ll only be identifying a small number of sites, but we’ll be expanding our coverage over time,” Google said in a statement. “Finding new and better ways to protect our users is a perpetual project, and we’ll continue to work hard in this area.”
The Stop Badware Coalition, a joint project of Harvard University’s Berkman Center and the Oxford internet Institute, launched in January with support from Google, Sun and Lenovo. When its research into hacker sites has been completed, the warning pages will contain specific information about the Web site and the malware detected on it.
Adware has begun to crop up as a concern for search engines. A current class action lawsuit against Yahoo! charges that the search engine engaged in fraud by knowingly placing search marketers’ ads on Web sites that deliver spyware and adware programs to users’ browsers.
Network
