Chrome Says Websites Will Use HTTPS Or Face The Consequences

Encryption is an incredibly important aspect of running a website because it ensures the security of not only the site itself but of any user that visits the website. HTTPS is one of the most useful tools to ensuring that a site’s encryption is up to scratch, but too many sites are still unwilling to switch to it. Well, Google has had enough and is going to force the hand of website managers and owners with its next big update, which is basically going to flag websites that it considers unsecure.

Right now, a majority of websites are still using the outdated HTTP connections. These are the websites that will be tagged by Google as unsecure, Ubergizmo reports. With Chrome seeing about 50 percent of the world’s search engine usage, it’s only natural that websites would become rightly concerned about this development.

The update in question will be Chrome 56, which will be launching in January, Engadget notes. After the update, users who visit any website that isn’t using the safer HTTPS will see a warning when they try to login. A small window by the side of the page will also indicate that the website is “not secure,” which will undoubtedly scare off a huge portion of traffic that those websites are getting.

According to a post on Google’s security blog, the biggest threat posed by websites not using HTTPS is the matter of private login information getting intercepted or the prospect of website tampering when logging in. Before, Chrome would only tag websites using HTTP with the neutral indicator, which did nothing in terms of informing users just how risky said websites can be.

“Chrome currently indicates HTTP connections with a neutral indicator,” the post reads. “This doesn’t reflect the true lack of security for HTTP connections. When you load a website over HTTP, someone else on the network can look at or modify the site before it gets to you.”