Free Add-On to Protect Yourself Surfing Online

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Web-surfing

Everyone gets e-mails, searches online and clicks on links, however, we tend not to know whether a site has a good reputation or a bad one. When using a web browser you can install a free add-on program called Web of Trust (WOT) which will tell you how a website or link is rated. It uses a simple rating system of green, orange and red that easily lets you know how the website ranks before you click. You do not need to register to use the application and you can help keep the internet safe by rating different sites you end up surfing. Download the add-on from the following link or just Google it. www.mywot.com

Website Warning

WOT will automatically block any sites that its rating system has deemed dangerous. It will warn you and tell you why it is deemed unsafe. It will give you a choice to ignore the warning and go to the website, or you can rate the site as safe (assuming you know otherwise). If you ignore the warning, a warning will appear at the top of the page making sure you know the site is potentially hazardous. This feature is important since some users have a bad experience and act vengeance upon it by giving it a bad rating. It is always important to use your judgement when surfing online.

Ratings

The add-on uses 4 different categories to rate a given website; Trustworthiness, Vender Reliability, Privacy and Child Safety, where Child Safety refers mainly to adult content and bad language. Trustworthiness, Vender Reliability, and Privacy are a combination on how the website uses your e-mail and personal information as well as how they treat their customers (assuming a commercial website). I am sure you have signed up on a website and ended up getting so much junk e-mails that you know they shared your e-mail with others. The ability to share/sell your information is outlined in their privacy agreements, which no one ever reads or the website is a fraud in general. Websites can sell your contact information to other internet websites, and many will use them to send spam. Some websites may e-mail you frequently and therefore get a bad ranking, even though they are safe.

Commercial website rankings should be taken seriously, after all, it is your money and your personal information. There are some countries where internet spam and fraud is not illegal. Dating websites may also hire people to flirt with you or contact you so you will be enticed to pay money to upgrade your membership instead of using the free service. When joining a dating website, I suggest you Google reviews to see if they are worth it. Remember to read a whole mess of reviews before you decide to purchase or buy from any website, unless you know they are safe (Amazon, eBay, etc). Just remember that negative reviews tend to be written by bitter, negative people, so always look at the best reviews and the worst before you decide to purchase from any website or seller.

Checking your E-mail

When checking your e-mail, any links that have been determined to be potentially unsafe. The add-on is quite effective in helping to quickly visually check any spam you may get. Be aware that spammers come up with new scams all the time and be weary of any e-mails wanting your personal information or trying to sell you something and get your credit card info.

If you get an e-mail from a credit card company, I always suggest typing in the web address for the credit card, bank or other business website rather than clicking on a link. Some e-mails will be verified as secure and accurate from your e-mail provide, however I recommend staying cautious with any e-mail asking you about usernames, passwords, personal information and e-mail addresses. The picture below is a screen shot from my personal e-mail, outlining how the add-on works on links.

Link Warning Example

Looking at links is so easy with WOT. You can quickly scan links to see which links have been rated as hazardous and which ones safe. This is also very effective while doing internet searches. I very often get results with scam websites trying to do something. Nothing better than a green, orange, or red circle next to a link to know how its rated.

Wrap Up

I am not affiliated in any way with Web of Trust. I have been in the IT field and understand how the online environment can be to users of all ages. I recommend this add-on to all my family and friends, so I thought I would share this tip with you. I hope you download this add-on to help you cut through the crap on the internet. Surf safe!