Microsoft tests Windows Defender extensions for Chrome and Firefox

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Microsoft started testing with Insider users its new Windows Defender Application Guard for both Chrome and Firefox users. The extension is designed to protect enterprise PCs against attacks. It used to be an Edge-exclusive feature, but it is now making its way to the two other browsers. What it does is it opens untrusted URLs not listed in administrators’ trusted sites in a virtual container. It helps prevent any attackers from immediately gaining access into a company’s system if the site does turn out to be a malicious one.

For the extension to do its job, you’ll need the companion app from the Microsoft Store and the Edge browser. If the extension finds the URL isn’t from the trusted list, it’ll open it in an isolated Edge session. Any link you click in the isolated session that’s from a trusted site will launch right back in your original browser. The extension is currently only available to Insider users, but it should be coming to more users soon.

Source: Engadget

This Alphabet-made Chrome extension will filter out toxic comments online

Aptly called Tune, a new experimental Chrome open-source extension from Alphabet incubator Jigsaw hopes to make your online browsing experience a bit more pleasant and free of toxic comments. How does it do that? It uses machine learning. As the name suggests, it allows you to see varying levels of polite or aggressive comments online. It moderates comments on YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, and Disqus. “Zen mode” turns off all comments completely, while “volume levels” let you choose from “quiet” to “blaring,” which shows you different amounts of toxicity—which include attacks, insults, profanity, etc.

The extension uses Perspective, which is an API created by Jigsaw and Google’s Counter Abuse Technology team back in 2017. News organizations like The New York Times and The Guardian to experiment with online moderation. You can see in the GIF above how Perspective sorts through comes by toxicity. Since this is an experiment, it’s expected that Tune can be inaccurate when it comes to labeling what comments are considered toxic. Jigsaw’s goal is to show how machine learning can be used to improve discussions online. Should machines get involved in the messy yet nuanced world of comment moderation? We can’t say. And the potential for it to do more harm than good is there. But perhaps it’s a good place to start for a conversation about online decorum.

Source: The Verge

Just Read Chrome extension takes away website distractions

Sometimes you just really want to read that long article you’ve been putting off for a while. But you can’t help but get distracted by links, ads, or anything else happening on your site of choice. The Just Read Chrome extension wants to rein in this tendency. It helps take out ads, comments, and other elements of a website that might distract you while you try to read. Just Read even comes with a dark mode or a customizable theme to have it look the way you want it to. There are themes from other people that you can use, too. If you just really want to read, this Chrome extension just might be the lifesaver you need.

Source: Lifehacker

Microsoft brings Timeline support to Chrome via new extension

Microsoft's Windows 10 Timeline feature lets you sync your Microsoft Edge browsing and app history between your Windows 10, iOS, and Android devices. Now, Chrome users are getting the capability, too, with a new extension. Called Web Activities, the extension syncs your Chrome browsing history across your Windows 10 devices through the operating system's built-in Timeline Viewer. Chrome already syncs your browsing history between your Chrome sessions. But if you want a simpler view of your browsing history on your Windows 10 machine, you'd like this extension. Task View can be accessed in your taskbar or by pressing the Windows Key + Tab.

Source: The Verge