Chromium Blog: abusive notifications

Reducing abusive notification content

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Although notifications on the web are useful for a variety of applications, they can also be misused for phishing, malware or fake messages that imitate system notifications for the purpose of generating user interactions.

In Chrome 86, we’ve expanded on previous efforts [

Mobile UI for quiet notifications on abusive websites. The new UI discourages users from allowing notifications from these websites.

This UI exactly matches the UI that was previously announced for Chrome 84. The only difference is in Chrome 86 we will begin blocking notification permission requests when sites have a pattern of sending abusive notification content.

Why are we doing this?

Abusive notification prompts are one of the top user complaints we receive about Chrome. Our goal with these changes is to improve the experience for Chrome users and to reduce the incentive for abusive sites to misuse the web notifications feature.

How will Chrome detect sites sending abusive notification content?

Google’s automated web crawling service will occasionally subscribe to website push notifications if the push permission is requested. Notifications that are sent to the automated Chrome instances, using Safe Browsing technology, will be evaluated for abusive content, and sites sending abusive notifications will be flagged for enforcement if the issue is unresolved.

What happens if abusive notifications are detected from my website?

When a site is found to be in “Failing” status for any type of notification abuse, Search Console will send an email to registered site owners and users in the site's Search Console at least 30 calendar days prior to the start of enforcement. During the 30 day grace period websites can address the issue and request another review.

We recommend concerned site owners and developers review the guide for how to fix abusive notifications and request another review of your website.

Are any further abusive notification protections planned?

Prior to the release of Chrome’s abusive notifications protections, many users have already unintentionally allowed notifications from websites engaging in abusive activity. In an upcoming release, Chrome will revert the notification permission status from “granted” to “default” for abusive origins, preventing further notifications unless the user returns to the abusive origin and re-enables notifications.

We’ll be listening for feedback from users and developers about the effectiveness of current enforcements and may make further changes based on that feedback.

Posted by PJ McLachlan, Product Manager

Google

Labels: abusive notifications

Protecting Chrome users from abusive notifications

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Notifications on the web help users receive important updates for a wide range of applications including messaging, calendars, email clients, ride sharing, social media and delivery services.
Unfortunately, browser notifications can be used to mislead users, phish for private information or promote malware. These abusive patterns fall into two broad categories, “permission request issues" and "notification issues."
Permission request issues are requests designed to mislead, trick, or force users into allowing notifications. One example of this is websites that require users to allow notifications in order to gain access to site content or that are preceded by misleading pre-prompts.
Notification issues include fake messages that resemble chat messages, warnings, or system dialogs. They also include phishing attacks, an abusive tactic that tries to steal or trick users into sharing personal information, and malware notifications that promote or link to malicious software.
To learn more about abusive notifications, you can consult the complete list of abusive notifications identified by the Abusive Notifications Report in Search Console, described below in the "How do I know if my site has failed the abusive notifications check?" section.
Starting with Chrome 84, releasing to stable on July 14 2020, sites with abusive permission requests or abusive notifications will be automatically enrolled in quieter notifications UI and notification enrollment prompts will advise users that the site may be trying to trick them. These changes are described in more detail below. Why are you doing this? Abusive notification prompts are one of the top user complaints we receive about Chrome. A large percentage of notification requests and notifications come from a small number of abusive sites. Protecting users from these sites improves user safety & privacy on the web, and makes for a better browsing experience.
Only a small fraction of websites will be affected by this change but we expect the impact on notification volumes will be significant for some users. Notification UI changes for Chrome 84 Abusive notification protection in Chrome 84 will only affect new notification permission requests from abusive sites. In the future, we may add protections for users who have already accepted notification permissions from abusive sites.

Desktop UI for quiet notifications UI on abusive websites. The new UI discourages users from allowing notifications from these websites.

Mobile UI for quiet notifications on abusive websites. The new UI discourages users from allowing notifications from these websites.

How do I know if my site has failed the abusive notification check?   The Abusive Notifications Report in Search Console informs site owners of abusive notification experiences on their site. The first time a site is found to be in “Failing” status, Search Console will send an email to registered site owners and users in Search Console at least 30 calendar days prior to the start of enforcement. Websites will have the opportunity during this time period to address the issue and re-submit their website for another review.
The Search Console help center has additional information on the abusive notification review process. What should I do if my website failed the abusive notification review? The Search Console help center has a guide for how to fix abusive notifications and request a new review of your website.

Posted by PJ McLachlan, Web Platform PM

Google

Labels: abusive notifications , chrome 84 , permissions

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