Earlier today I saw in Google Analytics that I had gotten referral traffic from link.smartscreen.live.com. I had never heard of it but I was interested in it since it came from live.com.

As the link itself tells us, it’s associated with the Smart Screen Filter. The filter is a new initiative from Microsoft Live Messenger which detect phishing and other malicious websites among.

SmartScreen Filter checks the sites you visit against a dynamic list of reported phishing sites and malicious software sites. If it finds a match, SmartScreen Filter will show you a warning notifying you that the site has been blocked for your safety.

So, in short, when a user clicks a link in Live Messenger they get directed to the Smart Screen. It then evaluates the site and warns the user if a threat is detected.