Consider the following Python code snippet used to sanitize user input:

user$\_$input $=$ input$("$Enter your input: $")$

sanitized$\_$input $=$ html$.$escape$($user$\_$input$)$

print$("$Sanitized input:", sanitized$\_$input$)$

Which of the following best describes the purpose of the htm L$.$ escape $()$ function in this code?

a$.$ It encrypts the user input to protect it from unauthorized access.

b$.$ It converts special characters to HTML entities to prevent crossside scripting.

c$.$ It validates the user input against a predefined set of rules.

d$.$ It removes leading and trailing whitespace from the user input.