Google Chrome hits “Unsubscribe” on notification spam, announces new safety features

Google has announced new safety features for its Chrome browser like an unsubscribe button to instantly block and evade website notifications, an improved Safety Check feature and the ability to grant one-time website permissions.

• One-tap unsubscribe from site notifications

“On Pixel devices, and coming soon to more Android devices, you’ll be able to simply tap the “Unsubscribe” button directly on the notifications drawer to stop receiving notifications from that site”, Google said in a blog post.

• An improved Safety Check feature

According to Google, “the revamped Safety Check feature will now run automatically in the background on Chrome” thus using a more proactive approach and will “inform you of actions it takes, including revoking permissions from sites you don’t visit anymore, flagging potentially unwanted notifications and more”.

Google Chrome’s improved Safety Check will now also “remind you if anything needs your attention, like a security issue that needs to be addressed”.

Safety Check can now automatically revoke notification permissions from “sites Google Safe Browsing finds to be deceiving users into granting the permission”.

Safety Check on Desktop will continue to notify you about installed Chrome extensions with potential security threats. On the extensions page, it will list them in a summary panel from where you can remove them.

• One-time website permissions

Google has also launched the one-time permissions feature for Chrome on both Android and Desktop. The new Chrome feature allows you to “grant select permissions — such as access to your camera or mic — to a site for one time only, helping you better manage your online privacy”.

As soon as you leave the website, Google Chrome will revoke the permissions. When you visit the site next time, Chrome will require you to explicitly grant the permissions again. In this way, the site cannot use your permissions once you leave it.