Ensuring our online safety is paramount while surfing the Internet, and common sense goes a long way in protecting us. However, adding an extra layer of protection can further safeguard your online experience. If you’re a Google Chrome user, you can activate a maximum protection feature that helps reduce risks.
It’s essential to remember that no protection is foolproof, and exercising caution when dealing with links, untrustworthy websites, or personal data sharing is crucial. Nevertheless, utilizing the functions provided by Google can help boost your security.
Activating Secure Protection
In Google Chrome, you can utilize the Safe Browsing feature to choose from three levels of protection: Enhanced Protection, Standard Protection, or No Protection. To access Safe Browsing, click the three dots in the upper-right corner of the browser, navigate to “Settings” on the left side of the screen, and then select “Security and Privacy.” Under the Security and Privacy settings, you’ll find “Safe Browsing.”
- Enhanced Protection: This offers the most comprehensive protection, including faster and more proactive defense against dangerous downloads, extensions, and websites. It also provides password security breach warnings and predicts potential threats. However, it requires sending browsing data to Google, which some users may want to avoid to protect their privacy.
- Standard Protection: This level safeguards against dangerous downloads, extensions, and websites but doesn’t provide the advanced features of Enhanced Protection.
- No Protection: Choosing this option means Google Chrome won’t shield you from hazardous websites or downloads.
Additionally, Google Chrome offers advanced configuration options, including:
- Always Use Secure Connections
- Use Secure DNS
- Manage Certificates
- Google Advanced Protection Program
You can manage and configure these options according to your needs and preferences.
Other Settings for Added Protection
Safe Browsing is not the only protective feature; Google Chrome offers various settings to enhance your security.
To access Google Chrome settings, click the three dots at the top-right of the screen, then select “Settings.” Within the settings menu, choose “Security and Privacy” from the left-hand menu.
Here, you’ll find the “Security Check” option, which you can use to scan your system by clicking “Check Now.” This scan checks for pending updates, weak passwords, safe browsing status, the presence of dangerous extensions, or any harmful software on your computer. The results will be indicated with a blue checkmark for correct settings and an information “i” icon for areas that need improvement. You can make necessary changes by clicking the right-side arrow next to the item.
The configuration section also allows you to delete your browsing data. You can choose to remove data from different timeframes, including all data, the past four weeks, seven days, 24 hours, or the last hour. The options to clear browsing history, download history, cookies, stored cache files, passwords, autofill data, site configurations, and hosted application data are available.
Furthermore, you can manage cookies by going to the “Privacy and Security” section and selecting “Cookies and Other Site Data.” Here, you can set rules to allow all cookies, block third-party cookies in incognito mode, or always block third-party cookies and all cookies.
These settings help enhance your online security when using Google Chrome, providing greater control and protection while browsing the web.