# Google Safe Browsing Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-safe-browsing/ 7 people recommended Google Safe Browsing in Hacker News comments, 5 had mixed feelings and 30 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 12 months, in 4 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** More people criticize it than recommend it. Blocks known phishing and malware sites in major browsers and people say it prevents real harm. Common caveat: it reacts slowly and sometimes blocks legitimate sites. Summary written by Claude from the comments below. ## What people warn about - Blocks legitimate sites by mistake (3 comments in the sample): "Google is making false statements about the safety of a domain and it has significant collateral damage." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47157643)) "I've managed to get mine listed there and immediately banned on all major browsers." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47764404)) "This person didn't submit his website to Google and now Google blocks visitors." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47157965)) - Slow to catch new phishing sites (3 comments in the sample): "It has absolutely struggled to keep up with the recent explosion of automated, highly targeted spear-phishing and MFA-bypass proxy kits." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47263387)) "Phishing sites that stay up long enough often go for 3-4 months before Google finally deems it apt to block them." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47302391)) "If that protection is fundamentally reactive, catching threats hours or days after they go live" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47263710)) - Relies on Google's central blocklist (3 comments in the sample): "other browsers also just use googles web good boy list and if you report false positives point you towards google and cover their ears" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48206193)) "SafeBrowsing is a black list, and it doesn't provide the necessary level of safety." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49256319)) "I cannot fully trust a centralized URL checker on a remote server that I don’t own" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47264492)) - Sends browsing data to Google (2 comments in the sample): "you're telling google every website you go to, but chances are the site already has google analytics or SSO" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47263923)) "where it connects to a Google server every day without most people's consent or even knowledge" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48162324)) ## Why people recommend it - Protects users from phishing and scams (3 comments in the sample): "if it stops just one person from losing their life's savings, suffering physical harm, or psychological trauma, yeah…" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47271414)) "Companies like Google are expected by the public and governments alike to protect their users." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47271400)) "that doesn't make a difference, they're still being protected" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47271420)) - Low false positives in practice (2 comments in the sample): "Safe Browsing's false-positive rate is extremely low" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47156468)) "I’d rather this than accidentally block legit sites." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47263949)) - Good enough even if imperfect (2 comments in the sample): "cutting even 5% of malicious sites from a user's experience is an unmitigated win for that user" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47266666)) "The fact that Safe Browsing even works is already good enough." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47263254)) ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://safebrowsing.google.com/) ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Google Safe Browsing", https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-safe-browsing/ (7 recommend, 5 mixed, 30 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.