Google Will Now Warn You About Sites With Fake Download Buttons

Finding the right download button on a website is the least fun version of hide and seek ever invented. Google is now taking steps to warn users when sites exhibit this type of deceptive behavior.

As Google explains on its online security blog, sites with any ad that deceptively tries to mimic the actual functionality of the site will now be considered “social engineering.” This includes fake download buttons, warnings that software you don’t have is “out of date”, and fake update notifications for things like Flash Player. When a site uses these tricks, Google will display a big red warning before the user visits the site. Hopefully this will discourage more dubious sites from using behind-the-scenes tricks to get users to click on ads, or at least prevent users from being tricked.

No more deceiving download buttons | Google Online Security Blog via Talk Android

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