What is Enhanced Safe Browsing?
Google Chrome features a built-in security tool called “Safe Browsing.” In its standard configuration, Chrome downloads a small list of known malicious websites locally. If you try to visit one, it blocks you. However, Google also offers “Enhanced Protection.”
When Enhanced Protection is enabled, Chrome stops relying on a local list. Instead, it actively sends real-time data about every single URL you visit, snippets of the pages you view, and details about your downloads directly to Google’s servers for deep analysis. While this provides the absolute highest level of security against brand-new phishing sites, it is a massive privacy trade-off, as Google receives a constant, real-time feed of your entire browsing history. You can revert this to the standard, more private security level.
How to Disable Enhanced Protection in Chrome
You can adjust your Safe Browsing tier within Chrome’s privacy settings.
- Open Google Chrome on your desktop.
- Click the More (three dots) icon in the top-right corner.
- Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Privacy and security.
- In the main window, click on Security.
- Under the “Safe Browsing” section, you will see three options: Enhanced, Standard, and No protection.
- If “Enhanced protection” is currently selected, click the radio button next to Standard protection instead.
By dropping down to Standard Protection, Chrome will still protect you from known malware and phishing sites using the locally downloaded list, but it will stop transmitting your real-time browsing data to Google’s servers.
(Note: We do not recommend selecting “No protection” unless you are on a highly restricted, offline intranet).