aibot88 TruthFinder — Web Search Safety Skill
This skill is always active during any web search, URL fetch, or link evaluation. Apply it before reading, summarizing, or citing any external website.
Site Classification Tiers
Every site gets one label before its content is used.
✅ SAFE
Reliable, well-established sources. Content can be read and cited directly.
Characteristics:
- Known editorial standards or peer review
- Transparent authorship and ownership
- HTTPS with valid certificate
- No history of malware hosting or data harvesting
- No aggressive ad injection or redirect chains
Examples (not exhaustive):
- Government domains (.gov, .edu)
- Major encyclopedias (Wikipedia — with cross-check)
- Established news orgs with correction policies
- Official documentation sites (docs.python.org, developer.mozilla.org, etc.)
- Reputable academic publishers
⚠️ CAUTION
Usable but verify before citing. Flag to the user that the source needs cross-checking.
Characteristics:
- No clear editorial process or single author with unclear credentials
- Content aggregators (may mix accurate and inaccurate material)
- Forums and community sites (Reddit, Stack Overflow) — accurate but unverified
- Sites with heavy ad load but no known malware history
- New domains (registered < 2 years ago)
- Wikipedia (always cross-check citations it references)
Action: Read content, but note "⚠️ Unverified source — cross-check recommended."
🚫 RISKY
Do not cite. Do not relay content as fact. Warn the user.
Characteristics:
- Known misinformation or conspiracy content
- Clickbait headlines that contradict the article body
- Sites that require login/account to read basic content (data harvesting risk)
- Excessive pop-ups, forced redirects, or obfuscated URLs
- Domain spoofing (e.g. "arnazon.com", "gooogle.com")
- HTTP only (no encryption) for any site requesting interaction
- Sites flagged by Google Safe Browsing, VirusTotal, or URLhaus
Action: Do not read content. Tell the user: "🚫 RISKY: [reason]. I did not open this site."
☠️ BLOCKED
Never open. Never relay. Report to the user immediately.
Characteristics:
- Known malware distribution (drive-by downloads, exploit kits)
- Phishing pages (impersonating banks, login pages, Microsoft, etc.)
- Sites that inject tracking scripts harvesting personal data
- Free "download" sites for commercial software (often bundled malware)
- Sites with URL patterns: random strings, excessive subdomains, unusual TLDs (.xyz, .tk, .pw, .top for unknown sites)
- Any URL that auto-downloads a file without user action
Action: Block immediately. Tell the user: "☠️ BLOCKED: This site shows signs of [malware/phishing/data theft]. I will not open it."
Privacy & Data Protection Rules
These rules apply at ALL times, regardless of site tier.
Never send or expose:
- User's real name, address, phone, or email
- Any passwords or API keys visible in the conversation
- System file paths that reveal username or machine name
- Browser fingerprint data or session tokens
- Any form fields on external sites — do not auto-fill
Never allow a site to:
- Execute JavaScript that reads clipboard contents
- Trigger file downloads without explicit user approval
- Redirect to a different domain mid-read
- Load third-party tracking pixels or beacon scripts (note if detected)
If a site asks for personal info:
Stop immediately. Tell the user:
"⚠️ This site is requesting [info type]. I have not submitted anything. Do you want to proceed manually, or should I find a safer alternative?"
Misinformation Detection Checklist
Before citing any claim from a CAUTION or lower site, check:
| Signal | Red Flag |
|---|---|
| Author | Anonymous, no credentials listed |
| Date | No publish date, or very old on a fast-moving topic |
| Sources | No citations, or links to the same site |
| Tone | Outrage, all-caps, excessive punctuation |
| Headline | Contradicts the article body |
| Cross-check | No other credible source confirms the claim |
If 2 or more red flags are present → downgrade site to RISKY. If the claim cannot be cross-confirmed by a SAFE source → do not present it as fact.
How to Report to the User
Always be transparent. When a site is evaluated, briefly surface the rating:
✅ [site] — SAFE. Summary: ...
⚠️ [site] — CAUTION (unverified author). Summary: ...
Cross-check this before relying on it.
🚫 [site] — RISKY (forced redirect detected). Not opened.
☠️ [site] — BLOCKED (known phishing domain). Not opened.
Recommend: search for this information on a SAFE source instead.
Quick Evaluation Checklist (run on every URL)
[ ] HTTPS? (if no → at minimum CAUTION, likely RISKY)
[ ] Domain looks legitimate? (no typosquatting, no random strings)
[ ] TLD appropriate for content? (.gov for govt, .edu for schools, etc.)
[ ] Known to VirusTotal / Google Safe Browsing? (if flagged → BLOCKED)
[ ] Requires login to read? (CAUTION — data harvesting risk)
[ ] Auto-downloads anything? (BLOCKED immediately)
[ ] Cross-checks with another SAFE source? (if not → CAUTION minimum)
[ ] Excessive ads / popups? (CAUTION)
[ ] Outrage-driven or sensationalist content? (RISKY for factual claims)
User Reviews & Feedback Evaluation
When researching a product, service, app, or website, always seek out and read real user feedback in addition to official content. User reviews often contain truth that marketing copy hides.
Where to Look for Reviews (in priority order)
PLATFORM BEST FOR TRUST LEVEL
-------- -------- -----------
Reddit threads Software, services, products High — hard to fake at scale
Trustpilot Businesses, services Medium — verify volume
Google Reviews Local businesses, apps Medium — check recency
App Store / Play Mobile apps Medium — filter by "Most Recent"
G2 / Capterra Business software Medium — verified buyers
Hacker News Tech products, startups High — skeptical audience
Steam Reviews PC games High — purchase-verified
YouTube comments Products, tutorials Low — easy to astroturf
Amazon Reviews Physical products Low-Medium — heavy fake problem
Fake Review Detection Checklist
Run this on any review set before summarizing it:
| Signal | Fake Review Red Flag |
|---|---|
| Timing | Dozens of 5-star reviews posted same day or week |
| Language | Overly formal, generic praise ("Great product! Very satisfied!") |
| Profile | Reviewer has 1 review total, no history |
| Specificity | No mention of actual features, problems, or use cases |
| Pattern | All reviews same star rating with similar wording |
| Incentive | "Received product for free in exchange for review" |
| Rebuttal | Company responds defensively to all negative reviews |
| Ratio | Suspicious bimodal split: 90% 5-star + 9% 1-star, nothing in between |
If 3+ red flags → label the review set: "⚠️ Review integrity suspect — treat with caution."
Genuine Review Signals
These patterns indicate authentic feedback:
- Mentions specific features by name (real user knows the product)
- Describes a problem and how it was or wasn't resolved
- Mixed sentiment ("love X but hate Y")
- Verified purchase badge on platforms that support it
- Long-term user mentioning version history or changes over time
- Negative reviews that are detailed and specific
Integration with Other Skills
TruthFinder runs before any skill that fetches external content:
- Before
WebSearchresults are summarized - Before
WebFetchreads a URL - Before any skill downloads a file from the internet
It does not block:
- Local file reads (no network risk)
- Official package registries (pypi.org, npmjs.com, nuget.org) — treated as SAFE
- GitHub.com, GitLab.com — treated as SAFE for code; CAUTION for linked external resources