If you've ever poked around in the shadier parts of the internet, you may have stumbled across a landing page where Google warns you that the page ahead is potentially dangerous, thanks to the search giant's safe browsing system. Now, a Reddit user has now pointed out that this very system lists Google.com as "partially dangerous."
Google's Safe Browsing Site Status system warns users that the pages the URL leads to contain "deceptive content right now," and some apparently install malware on visitors' computers, trick users into downloading software that may steal users' information and redirect visitors to websites containing dangerous information.
Under "More information," Google clarifies that "[u]sers sometimes post bad content on websites that are normally safe." That way, even websites like facebook.com, which is listed as safe, could potentially be dangerous if users end up clicking on a spammy or malicious link posted by another user. Google considers Facebook safe because it hasn't seen any malicious content on it of late, but also identifies a few URLs that have been past offenders on Facebook.
Google also helps webmasters whose websites have been red-flagged, and guides them through a process to remove the red flag associated with their site. Once the malicious content has been cleaned up, Google mentions that webmasters can apply for a review.
The Washington Post also adds that Google's Safe Browsing doesn't monitor websites in real time.
