Google Safe Browsing is enabled by default in Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. This is what both browsers use to determine whether a web site is "safe" or not to display.
You can use this feature independently in any browser. This is especially useful if you’re ever on a PC with an older browser with older or no screening safeguards.
All you have to do is paste a specific URL, then add the domain at the end.
The URL is this:
http://www.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=
After the equals sign is where you put the domain.
Using pcmech.com as an example:
http://www.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=pcmech.com
From that link, Safe Browsing reports that pcmech.com is (obviously) not a "suspicious" web site.
If you’re using Firefox or Chrome now and haven’t turned the Safe Browsing feature off, simply leave your browser as is because you already have it.
For IE8 users out there, the SmartScreen filter is enabled by default which does a good job. IE7 does have a phishing filter in it, but it is not as intelligent as SmartScreen for IE8. The difference between the filters between 7 and 8 is that 8 also includes protection from socially engineered malware. IE7 users may want to periodically check sites using Google’s Safe Browsing just to be on the safe side.

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