Google Experiments With How URLs Are Displayed in Chrome

Mousing over the address bar then expands the text to show the full URL. The Chrome Security team explains that, "Our goal is to understand -- ... PCMageditorsselectandreviewproductsindependently.Ifyoubuythroughaffiliatelinks,wemayearncommissions,whichhelpsupportourtesting.Learnmore. Home News SystemUtilities Browsers By MatthewHumphries August13,2020 facebook twitter flipboard socialshare Flipboard Pinterest Reddit LinkedIn Email Copied Error! CopyLink https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-experiments-with-how-urls-are-displayed-in-chrome Comments WerelyonURLstotelluswhichwebsiteswearebrowsing,butitcanbedifficulttospotwhenanaddresshasbeenmanipulated.Maybethe"i"hasbeenswitchedfora"1,"orthe"o"fora"0,"andthere'smanymoresophisticatedmethodsscammersutilizetotryandtrickusintotrustingmaliciouswebsites.Inresponse,GoogleisrunninganexperimentandchangingthewayURLsaredisplayedtousersintheChromebrowser. (Image:Google) InapostontheChromiumBlog,EmilyStark,EricMill,andShwetaPanditraofromtheChromeSecurityteamexplainhowarandomlychosengroupofChrome86userswillstartseeingURLspresentedinadifferentway.Ratherthanseeingthefulladdress,Chromewillshortenittoshowjustthedomainnamebydefault.MousingovertheaddressbarthenexpandsthetexttoshowthefullURL.TheChromeSecurityteamexplainsthat,"Ourgoalistounderstand--throughreal-worldusage--whethershowingURLsthiswayhelpsusersrealizethey’revisitingamaliciouswebsite,andprotectsthemfromphishingandsocialengineeringattacks."IfthefeedbackshowsanoticeableimprovementinusersspottingmaliciousURLs,weshouldexpectGoogletointroducethesimplerURLdisplayasastandardfeatureofthebrowser.However,ifyoudon'tliketheideaitwillbeanoptionyoucanturnoffinChrome'ssettings. RecommendedbyOurEditors GoogleLaunches'AdsTransparencySpotlight'ExtensionforChrome GoogleAddsBiometricSecurityChecksandTouch-to-FilltoChrome GoogleChrometoCrackDownonAbusiveIn-BrowserNotifications Ifyoufindyourselfpartoftheexperimentalgrouptryingthisout,Googlewouldreallyappreciateyourfeedbackonthefeature.Ifyouwanttotryit,installChromeCanaryorDevchannel,openchrome://flagsinChrome86,andenablethesetwoorthreeflagsbeforerestartingChrome:#omnibox-ui-reveal-steady-state-url-path-query-and-ref-on-hover#omnibox-ui-sometimes-elide-to-registrable-domainOptionally,#omnibox-ui-hide-steady-state-url-path-query-and-ref-on-interactiontoshowthefullURLonpageloaduntilyouinteractwiththepage. GetOurBestStories! SignupforWhat'sNewNowtogetourtopstoriesdeliveredtoyourinboxeverymorning. Email SignUp Thisnewslettermaycontainadvertising,deals,oraffiliatelinks.SubscribingtoanewsletterindicatesyourconsenttoourTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.Youmayunsubscribefromthenewslettersatanytime. Thanksforsigningup! Yoursubscriptionhasbeenconfirmed.Keepaneyeonyourinbox! Signupforothernewsletters Advertisement DigDeeperWithRelatedStories Windows11UsersWillBeForcedtoUseMicrosoftEdgeSoon By MatthewHumphries FirefoxArrivesintheMicrosoftStore By RobPegoraro StopTrackersDead:TheBestPrivateBrowsersfor2021 By MichaelMuchmore Chrome,Edge,Firefox,Opera,orSafari:WhichBrowserIsBest? By MichaelMuchmore PCMagStoriesYou’llLike Editors'Choice AboutMatthewHumphries MatthewisPCMag'sUK-basededitorandnewsreporter.Priortojoiningtheteam,hespent14yearswritingandeditingcontentonoursistersiteGeek.comandhascoveredmostareasoftechnology,butisespeciallypassionateaboutgamestech.AlongsidePCMag,he'safreelancevideogamedesigner.MatthewholdsaBScdegreeinComputerSciencefromBirminghamUniversityandaMastersinComputerGamesDevelopmentfromAbertayUniversity. ReadthelatestfromMatthewHumphries MicrosoftAddsFinalBatchofGamestotheXboxBackwardCompatibleLibrary WalmartGetsanExclusive$15RokuLEMediaStreamerforBlackFriday TheElderScrollsVIWon'tBeAvailableonPS5 Windows11DitchesBlackScreenofDeath,ReturnstoBlue Windows11UsersWillBeForcedtoUseMicrosoftEdgeSoon MorefromMatthewHumphries