Google is Using AI to Protect You

Google Chrome users are now enjoying a significant upgrade to their online safety with the rollout of an AI-powered "Enhanced protection" feature.  After a three-month testing period in the Canary channel, the update has landed in the stable Chrome release across all platforms, including Windows, Android, and iOS.
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This update supercharges Chrome's existing Safe Browsing feature, which has long offered "Enhanced protection" against malicious websites, downloads, and extensions.  While the basic protection has been available for years, Google has now integrated artificial intelligence to provide real-time threat detection.

This update is now widely available. While Google previously described Chrome's protection as "proactive," the shift to AI-driven security marks a substantial change.  The exact mechanics of the AI integration remain somewhat unclear, but it's likely that Google is leveraging AI's ability to recognize patterns in real-time. This could allow Chrome to identify and warn users about potentially harmful websites and downloads, even those not previously flagged by Google's security systems.  The AI also performs more thorough scans of downloads for suspicious activity.

One key benefit of the new system is the potential for detecting zero-day threats – malicious sites or files that haven't yet been identified and added to traditional blacklists. The AI's ability to learn and adapt could provide a crucial layer of defense against these emerging dangers.

While the enhanced protection offers a significant security boost, it does come with a caveat. Google has disclosed that browsing data is sent to their servers when the feature is active.  This data sharing is a trade-off for the real-time analysis and threat detection capabilities provided by the AI.
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Enhanced protection with AI is disabled by default. Users who wish to activate it can do so by navigating to Settings > Security within the Chrome browser on their respective devices.  The choice is now in the hands of the user: enhanced security with data sharing, or the standard level of protection.

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Image Source: https://www.google.com/intl/en_au/chrome/