Google is testing Web Bot Auth, an experimental protocol designed to help websites verify that automated traffic is really coming from the bot or service it claims to represent. The new protocol could give site owners a dependable way to separate legitimate automated traffic from bots that hide or misrepresent who they are. A new developer support page was published provide information on how to verify requests with the Web Bot Auth protocol, which is currently in an experimental phase. What Google’s Web Bot Auth Is Based On The new protocol is technically called the HTTP Message Signatures Directory. It’s a proposed technical standard designed to automate trust between web services. It helps websites recognize verified automated services without requiring each side to manually exchange security keys beforehand. The basic idea is similar to giving verified automated services a standardized way to present credentials.…