Most people know the padlock symbol in the browser address bar, but very few know what it means: namely “only” an HTTPS-secured connection. It does not mean that the site itself is trustworthy. Therefore, Google will remove this symbol.
The padlock was originally introduced to indicate a distinction between secure HTTPS and insecure HTTP connection. This means that when sensitive data such as credit card information is transmitted, it cannot be successfully intercepted as it is encrypted. However, this is not a statement about the basic trustworthiness of the respective website – in the worst case, one transfers one’s payment information “safely” to fraudsters.
However, this small but important detail is not clear to most users and as Google explains, there is no longer a need to explicitly refer to HTTPS. That’s because ten years ago, just 14 percent of the one million most popular sites on the Alexa website ranking service used such a connection – today it’s more than 95 percent.
Google realized years ago that the icon was misleading and redesigned it in 2016. However, this did not have the desired success: “Despite our efforts, our investigations in 2021 showed that only eleven percent of the study participants correctly understood the exact meaning of the lock symbol,” says Google. According to the search engine giant, this error can be fatal since almost all phishing sites use HTTPS and have a lock icon.
However, the symbol already has an important and practical functionality. This gives you quick access to “Cookies and website data” and “Website settings”. This will continue to be the case in the future, but the logo will indicate this accordingly, as it is more reminiscent of a settings symbol. In the future, HTTPS will no longer be explicitly displayed, but a page that only uses HTTP will be.
According to Google, the new icon for Chrome 117 is planned to be introduced, this version is planned for early September 2023, and it will be released as part of a general design refresh for desktop platforms.
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