Google, having removed the age-old, comfortable-like-an-old-pair-of-socks http:// from the beginning of URLs in Chrome’s address bar, is now trialing an even more drastic move: Killing off the URL entirely. In a new version of Chrome, the full URL vanishes from the address bar, instead replaced by an always-present “Search Google” box. This is obviously a play to drive more search traffic — but, as much as it pains me to say it, it’s probably a very good way of helping most users avoid phishing attacks.
