SiteAdvisor Guides You Safely Through the Internet
Wouldn't it be nice if you could have an Internet guide to tell you which websites were safe and which harbor spyware, viruses, excessive pop-ups, or online scams? Well, it's time to rejoice because that guide is available in the form of a free software tool named SiteAdvisor.
The SiteAdvisor service has a system of automated Web crawlers that constantly patrol the Web with a positive mission: to check out websites, download files, and enter information on sign-up forms. They assess the safety of each website, how much spyware may be attached to files downloaded from that site, and how much spam is generated from entering information on a signup form at each site. They also test sites for excessive pop-ups, phishing, and other fraudulent schemes. To enhance their automated testing, the SiteAdvisor service also uses feedback from individual users and detailed analysis by the SiteAdvisor staff to determine the quality of websites.
To use all the knowledge that the SiteAdvisor has amassed, the end user simply downloads and installs a small, free software program. The program is easy to install and can be used with both Internet Explorer and Firefox Web browsers.
After installation, a rectangular icon with the word SiteAdvisor appears on the top of the Internet Explorer window or the bottom of the Firefox window. When you visit a safe website, the SiteAdvisor icon is green. If the site may have some problems or issues, the SiteAdvisor icon is yellow and on sites with serious security issues it's red. This gives you a quick visual indication of the safety of the website you're viewing. You can also click on the SiteAdvisor icon to get more detailed information about the Web site you are visiting and why it was given its current rating.
The SiteAdvisor software is owned by McAfee, a noted security software manufacturer. They do not accept payment for ratings so you can consider their site ratings to be objective. Also, the software is well-written and does not slow down your Web surfing.
One of the best features of the SiteAdvisor is that it also works in conjunction with Google, Yahoo!, and MSN, the three most popular search engines. When you have SiteAdvisor installed and you perform a search with any of these search engines, each search result is marked with the SiteAdvisor's green, yellow, or red icons. This shows you at a glance which sites are safe to visit. This fantastic feature will alert you before you click on a suspicious URL and is invaluable in keeping your Web surfing away from problem websites.
Once you have SiteAdvisor installed you can do a little test of your own to show you the value of this software. Use a search engine to search on "free screensaver." When you see all the red and yellow SiteAdvisor alerts next to the search results, you will realize how helpful this software can be. It can be especially valuable when you want to download software from an unknown website.
Throughout the SiteAdvisor website there is an abundance of free information on spyware, scams, and online schemes. You can also get a detailed report on any website of your choosing from the SiteAdvisor website. If you find a site that the SiteAdvisor hasn't yet evaluated, you can submit it for evaluation. You can even become a site evaluator.
This product can help to keep you away from some of the nastier places on the Internet and make surfing safe and fun. Thanks McAfee!
Specifications
Product: SiteAdvisor™
Manufacturer: McAfee®
Price: free
URL: http://www.siteadvisor.com/
AARP does not recommend or endorse any of these products or web sites. Please be advised that there are other similar products and web sites available which were not reviewed and are not listed here.
About the Author
Sandy Berger is a nationally-known author and has written several books on computers.
