Google’s latest Transparency Report is out. The document reveals data on its “Safe Browsing” initiative, which attempts to protect users from sites that are either phishing for data or installing malicious software. According to Google, it keeps one billion users safe and flags some 10,000 sites per day.
Additionally, Google’s latest report — and presumably all those that follow — contains some revealing insights into the nature of those bright red “safe browsing” warnings you get from Google every so often. It turns out that more often than not, the warnings stem from malware rather than phishing. What’s more, when you’re landing on a page that Google is blocking, it’s more likely that it’s a compromised legitimate site than a site that’s been intentionally set up by hackers to trick you.
Until now, Google’s periodic report has revealed government and third-party URL takedown requests, and some — but not all — requests for user data by governments. [Google]