Google acknowledges HTTPS as the Internet standard with plans to remove ‘secure’ from all HTTPS sites.

Kelly Sheridan, Former Senior Editor, Dark Reading

May 21, 2018

1 Min Read

Google plans to remove the "secure" label from HTTPS websites starting in September 2018, a move intended to acknowledge HTTPS as the standard for browser security. Users should expect all the sites they visit to be secured with HTTPS, the company reported last week.

Earlier this year, Google announced plans to mark all HTTP sites as "not secure" and alert users when they visit unencrypted pages. Previously, HTTP usage was too high to brand all unsecured pages with a warning. Now HTTPS is more common so Google is making it the standard by flagging unencrypted websites and removing secure indicators from encrypted ones.

"I like the idea of assuming a 'secure' setting by default and training users to accept a secure, default setting," says Dr. Engin Kirda, co-founder and Chief Architect at Lastline. "I expect users will be more likely to take 'not secure' warnings more seriously rather than actively check that a website is secure, as in the past."

The change will come into effect in Chrome 69. Read more details here.

About the Author(s)

Kelly Sheridan

Former Senior Editor, Dark Reading

Kelly Sheridan was formerly a Staff Editor at Dark Reading, where she focused on cybersecurity news and analysis. She is a business technology journalist who previously reported for InformationWeek, where she covered Microsoft, and Insurance & Technology, where she covered financial services. Sheridan earned her BA in English at Villanova University. You can follow her on Twitter @kellymsheridan.

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