Google to warn users about data risks
Google is considering whether to warn web browsers that their data is at risk every time they visit a site that doesn't use the “HTTPS” system.
Google is considering to warn web browsers that their data is at risk every time they visit a site that doesn’t use the “HTTPS” system.
“HTTPS” – a basic web protocol system designed to safeguard data – has been adopted by many sites.
The proposal for Google Chrome has been welcomed by many security experts but warned that it could cause confusion.
The HTTP-secure proposal would mean that a warning would pop-up when you visited a HTTP-only site to highlight non-secure domains.
“The only situation in which web browsers are guaranteed not to warn users is precisely when there is no chance of security,” said Google engineers.
Currently only about 33% of websites use HTTPS, according to statistics gathered by the Trustworthy Internet Movement which monitors the way sites use more secure browsing technologies.
Security experts have largely welcomed the news, one said that it was “bizzare” that an unencrypted HTTP connection prompted no warning at all.
