If you’ve been using the Chrome browser for quite a while, you would have bumped into Google Safe Browsing, the system whereby Google splashes your browser with a red screen warning you of the dangers of visiting the site.
This feature has never been on Chrome for Android, until now that is. According to Google, this technology is now available and enabled by default on all Android devices as part of Google Play Services. It can be found under Chrome’s Privacy menu right now.
When asked why did it take so long for Google to implement this feature Android on mobile, the company states that it is far harder to keep a long list of potentially harmful sites on a mobile device than on the desktop. With the data compression service, all unencrypted web traffic is routed through Google’s servers, allowing Google to easily check URLs against its blacklist. On the mobile, things become a bit more complicated.
Google has stated that Safe Browsing on Android has been optimised for low memory and processor usage in an attempt to keep users safe for malicious websites without hampering the user experience.
