14 DAY TRIAL // Symantec and Ask.com have announced a new partnership designed to deliver secure web search results by providing users with ratings that flag websites that could infect their computers with malware.
Safe Search will offer site ratings during the search process, so when Norton users will conduct a search task directly from their Norton toolbar they will be able to view and analyze site ratings presented on a customized search result page. Safe Search, which will be powered by Ask.com, is available with Norton Safe Web as a component of the Norton 360 version 3.0 Beta, Norton Safe Web being a Web site rating services introduced in Beta by Symantec in August 2008.
When a search task is run from the Norton toolbar, users will be notified concerning the potential malicious websites by color-coded icons that will flag the websites or sections of them that can be harmful. Users will have the possibility to roll their mouse over a rating and a popup window will appear and offer more details about the Safe Search rating.
Ask.com Chief Executive Officer Jim Safka said that "At Ask.com, safety, security and privacy are front-and-center priorities in the search experience that we provide to millions of families." He also mentioned that "This move is part of Ask.com's ongoing focus on families to provide them with safe search features and the best content anywhere on the Web. Our customers will continue to see Ask.com innovate with technology that serves consumers with a series of compelling verticals across major search categories in 2009, and beyond."
On the other hand, Janice Chaffin, group president of Symantec's Consumer Business Unit, related that, "Search is a fundamental part of consumers' everyday lives, and Symantec is continually looking at ways to help consumers extend protection into activities such as shopping, social networking and online banking. She also said that "Ask.com has demonstrated a commitment to making the Web a safer place, and can bring Norton Safe Web technology to more consumers through Ask.com's 76 million unique monthly users."
Through this partnership, Ask.com and Symantec want to and will provide their active and potential users with features that extend their search security. So they will continue to work together in order to improve search safety and enhance their users’ search experience.