Microsoft Edge needs to copy this new Google Chrome security feature

I’m a longtime MacBook user who has found the perfect browser for macOS: Microsoft Edge. I could tell you all about my journey from Chrome to Safari to Edge, but then my colleague José Adorno did a great job explaining why Microsoft Edge is such a good browser for Mac.

I’ll tell you that I didn’t get back to Chrome from Safari because Microsoft built Edge on top of Chromium. And that meant I could just install all the extensions I use on Chrome on Edge and forget about Google’s browser. Still, Google Chrome is the main Chromium browser out there, and Google keeps improving it.

Since I left it, Google made it more energy efficient on Mac, which was my main issue with it. This week, Google rolled out a feature I hope I’ll never have to use. But one that Microsoft Edge and any other Chrome-based browser should copy right away. Google Chrome will finally tell you whether any of your extensions are malware and help you ditch them.

We and others routinely inform you about malicious Chrome extensions, and you should take action the minute you hear about them. Some may steal your data or go after your crypto wallets. Other malware apps may try to take over your browser. The point is you don’t want any malware from the PC app you use the most.

But you might miss warnings from the media that something might be afoot with one of your Chrome extensions. And you might keep using it for as long as it’s available.

Thankfully, Google announced that it’s taking a more proactive step to warn users about potential malware inside Chrome extensions. It all starts with Google Chrome 117. You’ll see warnings inside the browser to take action in three types of extensions-related scenarios:

The extension has been unpublished by the developer.
The extension has been taken down for violating Chrome Web Store policy.
The item was marked as malware.

The last one is key here. You…