The world’s most popular web browser will soon be taking the next step towards a more secure internet connection, by marking additional HTTP pages as “not secure”.
What this means
For those who aren’t sure about the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, it’s very simple: HTTPS means that a web page is coded in such a way that prevents outside parties from reading any information entered, keeping it safe from hackers
As things stand, Chrome only marks HTTP pages as “not secure” if they require very personal details, such as passwords or credit card information. But from October 2017, they aim to include the “not secure” warning to two additional situations:
- When entering any form of data on an HTTP web page; even if it’s just your name or address. The reasoning here is that Chrome believes passwords and credit card details are not the only types of information that should be kept private; it should all be kept private.
- When on any HTTP web page while on incognito mode (private browsing). The reason for this is that internet users are more inclined to believe their web browsing is secure when they’re using incognito mode; but this in fact does not mean that HTTP browsing is private to others on the network.
Google Chrome aims to eventually show a “not secure” warning on every HTTP page, regardless of whether on incognito mode or not.
Why should you care?
Google has given us some sure-fire warnings to start seriously thinking about transitioning to HTTPS in the near future. The Chrome Security Team claims that it’s easier and less expensive than ever to set up, and includes new features which aren’t able to run on HTTP.
The announcement has brought forward our date to secure our domain with HTTPS, and we’ll be looking to bring it forward with our clients as well.
You can check out Google’s HTTPS setup guide here to help you with the setup process.
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About Steph Von der Heyde
Our resident wordsmith’s love of digital lured her over from advertising to the online space, where she fell in love with content marketing. Since coming to the online world Steph has made her mark on all outgoing CleverClicks copy and is passionate about using words to build brands. Her obsession with the writing is rivaled only by her love of trail running, yoga and green juice. When she’s not submerged in content strategy you’ll find Steph in Downward Dog.