Google stops questionable URL test for Chrome

Google’s experiment with the URLs for Chrome is going awry. It doesn’t seem to help at all to omit additional information.

Google has already stopped testing a new form of URLs for Chrome, they said in a recent changelog. The ‘experiment’ retrieved all the information after, for example, ‘.com’ or ‘.nl’ from the URL bar. The principle is the same as with the part ‘https://www.’; that can only be seen if you click on the search bar. The idea behind removing the information, on the other hand, turned out to be nonsense.

Google cancels Chrome URL experiment

Normally when you go to a website, you will not only see the name of the site as URL, but also additional information. Think of the menu category where you are. Many websites also use special codes in the URL to track, for example, advertising campaigns.

Google wanted to hide all that extra information from users. That piece of text would ensure that the average internet user is more likely to fall for phishing. Google thought removing extra URL info would prevent that. So, for example, if you were to go to Apparata and visit the Chrome category (https://www.apparata.nl/tag/chrome), there would still only be ‘apparata.nl’ in the URL line.

The experiment had no relevant impact on security figures, so we’re not going to launch it.

Could it have been useful?

Now Google’s reasoning of restricted Chrome URLs is somehow understandable. The extra information behind ‘.com’ can mislead a user. The site may be called ‘pishingforyourdata’, but if it says ‘ing/my-ing/bank account/login’ after it, it can be confusing.

The opposite, on the other hand, is also true. A phishing website usually only changes one letter in the URL. An example that is not possible in practice since URLs only use lowercase letters: In my place of ‘ING.nl’ there could be ‘lNG.nl’. The second option contains a small ‘L’ instead of an ‘i’. In such a case, a questionable other URL code can actually help you. Whatever the reasoning, Google is forgoing the URL experiment for Chrome.