Google officially lifted the curtain on Chrome 71 for Windows, Mac and Linux on Tuesday. The latest browser version touts new security features and a slew of fixes. Google has begun rolling out the stable build of Chrome 71 for bolstering security postures.
The biggest feature with the new update v71.0.3578.80, to be exact is that Chrome will now remove and block all malicious ads on websites with persistently abusive experiences. The release includes an expanded ad blocker, warnings for unclear mobile billing services, and support for relative times, and plenty more developer-specific features.
Announced at the start of November, last month, this update will improve Chrome’s ability to detect websites that show overly aggressive or misleading ads and popups which, Google said, creates “abusive experiences” for Chrome users. Also starting with Chrome 71, Google also announced its intention to crack down on websites that use shady tricks to fool users into subscribing to mobile subscription plans.
Starting with Chrome 71, users must first interact with a web page before a site can trigger a “speak” event. Google has been working on fixing this problem for at least ten months, and while it won’t completely stop tech support sites from playing audio, it will seriously hinder their efforts.
Further, another security-related change is the final removal of the Inline Install API, a Chrome feature that allowed users to install Chrome extensions hosted on the official Web Store, but while navigating other websites.
And last but not least, Chrome 71 also includes fixes for 43 security issues. Overall, Google issued 43 patches with the security update for Chrome 71. The newest version, 71.0.3578.80, included an array of high severity bug fixes.
In addition to security fixes, the new feature will motivate site owners to check and see if their websites feature any potential malicious pop-ups or not. Chrome 71 for Android is not available yet, but it should arrive soon over on Google Play meanwhile it is available on Apple’s App Store.
