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About that “Not Secure” Website Warning
The Sprocket Report
Have you been seeing news reports stating that as of October 1, 2017 websites without an SSL certificate are labeled “Not Secure?” You may be wondering what this means to you, both as a business manager and as a consumer.
Let’s start with a short history: As we all know, there are bad people on the internet trying to steal our data. Websites speak a language called Hypertext Transfer Protocol(HTTP) which bad people can listen in on. So the tech world came up with Secure Sockets Layer, now Transport Layer Security, to prevent the bad people from listening in (HTTPS). The HTTPS connection has long been used for credit card information, but the tech world wants to protect ALL of your data. The momentum now is to encrypt every page of every website.
In 2016 Google started telling people about their plan to get all websites encrypted. Earlier this year, Chrome users were warned when a web page asking for their credit card info was unsecure. What will happen in October is that Chrome users will be warned when a web page asks for ANY information. That includes all text fields including email sign-up forms or even a site search box.
This is a big deal because Chrome users represent more than half of the world wide market. Other browsers will no doubt follow suit and of course we all would prefer to protect the internet from the bad people. So what does this mean for you personally?
As a consumer, the warnings will remind you to be careful with your information. Look for the https:// in the URL of any web page you use before entering data into a text box.
What are your thoughts about visiting a business that has a “Not Secure” warning on it? Do they seem unconcerned about your safety? Does it mean they are behind in updating their technology? Could it be that they are simply uninformed about the latest tech news?
If you draw negative conclusions when seeing that “Not Secure” warning on the websites you visit, consider how your business website looks to others. Your site won’t suddenly become less secure after October 1, but the warning isn’t exactly a marketing plus.
There are several levels of SSL that will protect your website visitors. Since the trend is toward encrypting all pages, eventually you will probably want to get an SSL certificate, even if you aren’t currently asking for confidential data on your website.
If you still have questions about the Chrome warning and SSL certificates, please give us a call to discuss your specific situation. We’re happy to help you make sense of this complicated issue.
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Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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