Thursday, June 22, 2006

Security Services Keep Consumers Safe

There are criminals online who seek to cause harm and commit fraud. Online criminals find ways to breach online security systems, steal identities and bombard consumers with advertisements they do not want. Also, consumers visit many sites that contain malicious software, pornography and offensive topics. What are consumers to do? They need to know which websites are safe before visiting them.

Two free services, Scandoo and SiteAdvisor, offer features to protect consumers online. Scandoo is still in its test phase. It reviews websites prior to loading. However, you must input search terms through its website www.scandoo.com instead of going through a search engine. In contrast, consumers may download SiteAdvisor from www.siteadvisor.com. SiteAdvisor matches Web sites against a database it has compiled about content. Both services work on Windows and Macintosh computers.

Mossberg, Walter S. "Two New Services Try to Warn You About Sleazy Sites." Wall Street Journal. Page B1. Thursday, June 22, 2006.

No comments: