Chrome 84 will warn against misleading notification requests

Google is adding protection against misleading notifications to its Chrome browser. Users will see a warning if a site tries to trick them into clicking a deceptive notification or permission request.

Google starts with Chrome 84 with protection against misleading notifications. The release of that version is planned for July 14. These are misleading requests to obtain permission from a user to allow notifications, for example as a requirement to access the content of a site. Google also mentions misleading notifications that resemble chat messages, warnings or system dialogues and are used for phishing attacks and links to malware.

For sites that abuse notifications in this way, Google will automatically activate the ‘silent’ notification system with a small notification in the address bar, as introduced in Chrome 80. In addition, the browser will warn that the site is probably trying to mislead with notifications. Users can then still allow the notifications.

The security only works for new notification requests. Anyone who has already allowed a misleading report is not protected after all. Google reports that it may add protection for them at a later stage. According to the company, complaints about misleading notifications are among the most frequently voiced problems users experience with Chrome.