Google Spam Wars

Jan 2013

by casey jane

With the ever growing dependence on the World Wide Web, people are expecting a lot more security and safety for themselves and their children. Spam emails are filtered out of our email, pop ups are being denied by our spyware, and website blocks help us to feel safe browsing on the web, however, some viruses and spam cannot be avoided. How does one avoid having their computer crash and, what ownership should web browsers like Google take in these matters?

Most tech experts say that we as the user should never let our guard down and there are precautions we can take to help ourselves avoid spam, virus, and dangerous sites. Google has recently strengthened their security but with an always evolving web, it’s hard to funnel out every unfortunate security breach.

Some smarts steps that you can take to protect yourself are as follows:

. Update your security spyware and get your gadgets checked yearly for bugs (this will help you strengthen your security while browsing unknown sites).
. Pay attention to the fine print on websites that ask for personal information, and always read their about page (if one exists).
-When using Google, sign up for an internal account so that you can control what websites are able to pop up in your browser through their security features.
. If you are shopping online, use a second party like PayPal to ensure extra security precautions, always research a companies history before purchasing anything online.
. Trust your gut, if a website looks sketchy and is filled with links going nowhere, then it’s probably not a good idea to continue browsing on the site. Never give any information to a website that is filled with offers, contests, and “free” money, 9 out of 10 times its a scam.

During the holiday season, web browsers are at max capacity with traffic, so knowing what you can do to protect yourself is the best and safest way to surf on the net. Google has a link to their security information, they also have public documents explaining their rights and legal obligations, if you need more information about Google, it also offers a 24 hour help line.