[Infowarrior] - Google enlists Chrome in push for encrypted Web

[Richard Forno]

Be warned: Google enlists Chrome in push for encrypted Web

Google has taken its first step to flag ordinary sites like Wikipedia and CNN with a security warning because they are unencrypted, allowing all data transmissions to be viewed by the prying eyes of hackers or governments.

Stephen Shankland
@stshank
January 30, 2015 5:33 AM PST

Google has added a feature to Chrome that can alert users about unencrypted network connections common on many parts of the Web. The feature isn't on by default. Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET
Google just gave Chrome something of an insecurity complex.

That's because the company has enlisted Chrome -- the No. 2 desktop browser worldwide -- in its effort to make secure, encrypted connections on the Web the rule rather than the exception. Encryption scrambles data during transmission to protect users from identity thieves and prying governments. This week, Google built a feature into a test version of Chrome to explicitly warn people about Web pages that were delivered without encryption.

As the feature spreads to mainstream versions of Chrome, it could alarm people who thought Web pages were working fine and could impose new costs on Web site operators who don't want their users fretting that something is wrong. But in Google's view, the problem needs fixing.

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http://www.cnet.com/news/chrome-becoming-tool-in-googles-push-for-encrypted-web/#ftag=CAD590a51e

 
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