Since 2005 when it enacted the Safe Browsing policy, Google has been working to protect users against unsafe websites that spread malware or otherwise spread harm. However, until now there has been a loophole in Google’s policy, one that allowed dangerous sites to temporarily make improvements to get verified as safe by Google, only to go right back to their malicious practices as soon as Google’s warnings were removed. Today, Google is closing this loophole by slapping a “repeat offenders” tag on these sites and imposing stricter penalties on them.
Once a site is deemed a repeat offender by Google, the webmaster will not be able to challenge it for 30 days, during which time the “repeat offender” warning tag will continue to be displayed prominently to searchers.
So, what exactly does Google consider a repeat offender?
“Repeat Offenders are websites that repeatedly switch between compliant and policy-violating behavior for the purpose of having a successful review and having warnings removed,” the company explained on their blog.
It’s worth noting that websites that get hacked, of which there are 30,000 a day, will not be tagged as repeat offenders; “only sites that purposefully post harmful content will be subject to the policy.”
Will this apply to websites like Forbes, which have been criticized for infecting users with malware through its ads powered by third-party networks? Here’s to hoping.