Yahoo! Releases ‘SearchScan’ (BETA) with better User Online Experience in Mind
Yahoo! has joined forces with McAfee in an effort to provide a cleaner and a safer online experience to the users who run search queries using Yahoo! Search Engine. According to Yahoo! Search Blog Yahoo! has announced the release of ‘SearchScan’. This feature which has been released in the ‘BETA’ mode will flag URLs in Yahoo! SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) that are deemed as ‘risky’ by McAfee database. This feature will act as a shield to protect users against spyware and other malicious software that might get downloaded on their computers. Additionally, it will assist users in identifying those websites that practice spammy email tactics, in an effort to extract personal and financial user information. ‘SearchScan’ uses the McAfee’s SiteAdvisor technology and at present this service is available only in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Spain.
SearchScan classifies websites as ‘risky’ using these parameters:
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Downloads that can Harm a Computer: Those websites that provide downloads to the users that are usually spyware, malware or can even contain viruses. These files can be disguised as screensavers, games and can also be molded into various other formats that a user is most likely to download.
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E-mail Scams: User will be warned and advised against websites that send spam mails or might send emails that can trick users into revealing their personal information. Also, those websites will also be monitored that share user email addresses with third parties without the consent of the user.
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Malicious Websites: Websites that have the capability of transferring malware or can harm a user’s computer will not be displayed in the Yahoo! Search Results.
The option of ‘SearchScan’ is kept ‘ON’ by default. However, it can be turned ‘OFF” (not advisable though!) by visiting the ‘Preferences’ page.
The implementation of such features would no doubt enhance user experience greatly. However, if a feature like ‘SearchScan’ can be fused with Yahoo! Mail and other Yahoo! communication services, then it would become the ideal weapon against online trash.
May 15th, 2008 at 1:56 am
[...] Yahoo! in collaboration with McAfee has announced the release of 'SearchScan', a feature that would would help protect users against viruses, spyware and spam. It is an online feature that works seamlessly with Yahoo! Search Engine. More…… [...]