I have used Web of Trust on Safari for several years; to try to stay off questionable or dangerous websites. Now it seems that Apple and others discourage its use. Should I stop using it.
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Delmar Knudson
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Should I Continue To Use Web Of Trust?
Comments: 6 Responses to “Should I Continue To Use Web Of Trust?”
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I have never heard of it before. Looking at the Wikipedia page I get the concept, but Safari has this already built in: Safari, Preferences, Security, Warn when visiting a fraudulent website. I think all the major browsers have this today.
I couldn't find any mention of Apple acknowledging this, let alone discouraging it -- do you have a source on that?
I would just stick with the standard browser check, plus your own common sense.
I have been using High Sierra versions for about a year. After I downloaded and installed macOS High Sierra Version 10.13.6 this week, a message came up that Safari no longer supported W.O.T..
Delmar: Sounds like it is an older extension that is no longer supported. I would just move on unless you have a compelling reason to stick with it.
Hi Delmar,
Unfortunately, on 1st of September, 2019 Safari removed its Safari Extension Gallery, hence the reason why WOT is no longer available to install on Safari (WOT Classic 3.0 for Safari).
We're currently working to find an alternative solution, so Safari users can stay safe online with WOT. We're sorry for the inconvenience caused and we'll keep you posted on any updates in the future.
Alternatively, you can always use WOT on Opera, Firefox or Chrome browsers to stay 100% safe!
It seems most large companies are reluctant to block sites that operate in grey areas of policy or behavior. Companies with deep pockets seem to fear possible litigation as a result of any blocking they might recommend. For sites where I knew bad things were occurring, often only W.O.T. offered useful warnings. Wikipedia offers information on past abuse by WOT Services themselves. This extension should reduce risk provided there is no concern about publicly going to websites.
Doug: I don't know if that is true. The built-in fraudulent sites warnings seem to put up plenty of sites in gray areas, and also many sites are falsely flagged. So I don't think that fear of litigation is the issue here.