Web of Trust: Risks & Alternatives

TL;DR

The Web of Trust (WoT) has faced issues with data accuracy and privacy concerns, leading to its eventual shutdown. While no perfect alternative exists, several tools and approaches can help you assess website safety, including browser security features, reputation services like VirusTotal, URL scanners, and careful manual checks.

Understanding the Problems with Web of Trust

Web of Trust was a community-based browser extension that aimed to show users which websites were trustworthy. However, it suffered from several significant problems:

• Data Manipulation: The rating system could be easily gamed by website owners or malicious actors submitting biased reviews.
• Privacy Concerns: WoT collected browsing data, raising privacy issues about how that information was used and protected.
• Accuracy Issues: Ratings weren’t always reliable due to the potential for manipulation and lack of verification.

Due to these concerns, WoT was discontinued in 2019.

Checking Website Safety – Step-by-Step

1. Browser Built-in Security: Your browser is your first line of defence.
• HTTPS: Always check for HTTPS (the padlock icon in the address bar). This encrypts communication between you and the website. Most modern browsers will warn you about sites without it.
• Safe Browsing: Enable your browser’s Safe Browsing feature (e.g., Google Safe Browsing, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen). These features block known malicious websites.
2. URL Scanners: Use online URL scanners to check for malware and phishing attempts. Some popular options include:
   • VirusTotal: Analyzes URLs against multiple antivirus engines and website reputation lists.

     (Paste the URL into VirusTotal's search bar)

   • URLScan.io: Provides a detailed analysis of a website, including screenshots and network information.
3. Website Reputation Services: Check the reputation of the domain.
   • Whois Lookup: Find out who owns the domain, when it was registered, and contact information. A very new domain or hidden ownership can be a red flag.

   (Enter the domain name into Whois)

   • Google Search: Simply search for the website name + “reviews” or “scam”. See what others are saying.

     (Example: "examplewebsite reviews")

4. Manual Checks (For more advanced users):
   • Check the ‘About Us’ page: Look for legitimate contact information, a physical address, and details about the company.
   • Review Privacy Policy & Terms of Service: Understand how your data is collected and used.
   • Look for Spelling/Grammatical Errors: Poorly written content can be an indicator of a scam website.

Theoretical Alternatives to Web of Trust

While WoT’s community-based approach had flaws, the idea of collective intelligence isn’t bad. Here are some theoretical alternatives (none currently offer a direct replacement):

• Decentralized Reputation Systems: Using blockchain technology to create a tamper-proof reputation system could address data manipulation concerns. However, this is complex and requires widespread adoption.
• AI-Powered Analysis: Machine learning algorithms could analyze website content, code, and network behaviour to identify malicious activity more accurately than human ratings.
• Federated Learning: Combining data from multiple sources (with user privacy preserved) to create a more robust reputation database.

Currently, the best approach is to use a combination of the tools and techniques outlined above rather than relying on a single solution.