Google ups the security on Gmail, makes https the default

Filed under: Google

Google has long offered the ability to use a secure, encrypted connection with Gmail simply by typing https at the start of the URL instead of http. Since 2008, you could opt to always use the secure connection method by tweaking your settings. Now Google has flipped the switch and made https connections the default. You have to uncheck that option if you want to go back to using a less secure connection.

The reason https hadn't been enabled by default previously is because Google was concerned about latency issues, but ultimately decided that the benefits outweigh the costs.

I can't help but wonder if this has anything to do with a recent high-profile attack where hackers tried to access the Gmail accounts of human rights activists in China. After all, flipping a switch to tighten email security doesn't seem nearly as dramatic as threatening to pull out of China, one of the fastest-growing internet markets in the world.

Google ups the security on Gmail, makes https the default originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments