If you’ve used Yahoo Search lately, you’ve likely noticed a welcome new security feature. The embattled Web giant now shows some, but not all, of the site ratings from the popular McAfee SiteAdvisor service to warn of potentially dangerous downloads or spam risks among search results.

SearchScan, as Yahoo calls the feature, is a good move that can help protect users’ privacy and security, and one that I’d like to see the company take further. Here’s how it works.

SiteAdvisor is a browser plug-in, available as a free download, that displays icons for search-engine results to let you know if sites are deemed problematic. The issues can range from potentially dangerous downloads to spam risks to user reports of possible merchant fishiness.

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