More Government Websites Encrypt as Google Chrome Warns Users Non-HTTPS Sites Are 'Not Secure'
The most popular Web browser has taken a stance against unencrypted websites. The move appears to be driving a shift toward encryption among state and local governments.
August 09, 2018 •
Google Chrome, the most widely used Internet browser, has officially started warning users that unencrypted Web pages are “not secure.” Among those “not secure,” as of Aug. 9: The front pages of the official government websites for 14 states and four of the nation’s 10 most populous cities.
Encryption — most easily represented with an “HTTPS” rather than “HTTP” in front of a site’s Web address — is the practice of encoding data traveling between a website and its visitor so that any third parties who are able to peek into the data don’t know what’s happening. With encryption, users can reasonably expect that their connection is private. Without it, bad actors can do things like steal information and change a Web page’s content without the user realizing it.