• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Google

There Are About to Be Far More ‘Non-Secure’ Sites on the Web

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 8, 2016, 11:00 AM ET
Inside The Google I|O Developers Conference
Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps for Google Inc., watches a demonstration during the Google I/O Annual Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, June 25, 2014. Google Inc. unveiled a new version of its Android software for smartphones and other devices as it battles Apple Inc. to be the foundation for mobile technology. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesDavid Paul Morris—Bloomberg via Getty Images

Expect to see more security warnings from the world’s most popular web browser in 2017.

Google (GOOG) Chrome, the search giant’s flagship browser, will begin labeling more websites as dangerous starting next year, according to plans previewed with Fortune. The change will affect certain unsecured webpages that feature entry fields for sensitive data, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

A note of caution will emblazon any webpages asking for sensitive data that are powered by HTTP—a standard data transmission protocol—rather than HTTPS—a newer and more secure specification favored by many cybersecurity experts. In the address bar, you’ll notice a new prefix: “Non secure.”

Google Chrome URL security warning
Courtesy of Google

See also: How Hackers Plan Attacks and Hide Their Tracks

The move represents a step forward in the Web’s steady, inevitable march from HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) to HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). The latter version is sealed with protective encryption, preventing snoops and middle-men attackers from eavesdropping on, stealing, or manipulating data sent between an online service and a user, (thus keeping things like your bank account login details private, for instance).

Most websites that trade in confidential data, like banks and e-commerce outfits, have recognized the virtues of HTTPS, and began employing it long ago. Google, which prides itself on the security of its product, wants that mindset—and the quantity of Internet traffic protected with encryption—to spread.

“We will begin our plan to label HTTP sites more clearly and accurately as non­-secure in gradual steps based on increasingly stringent criteria,” writes Emily Schechter of the Chrome security team in a blog post. “Eventually, we plan to label all HTTP pages as non-­secure.”

For more on Chrome, watch Fortune’s video:

Google has already begun pushing for HTTPS in other ways. Recently, the company began boosting the rankings of websites that use HTTPS, using its search algorithm. Other companies, such as video streaming service Netflix (NFLX), have been rolling out the tech for some time.

The update is slated to be part of Chrome version 56, due out in January, Google said. In future updates, the company says it will begin to denote HTTP pages displayed in the browser’s more private “incognito” mode as “non secure,” too. Eventually, the Google team plans to deploy a more alarming red triangle “warning” icon for HTTP sites, it said.

For website owners everywhere, the development portends an inexorable trend: Google’s intentions are clear, and the days of HTTP are drawing to a close.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

AP
AIMedia
Associated Press starts offering buyouts to newspaper journalists amid wider AI transformation
By David Bauder and The Associated PressApril 6, 2026
9 hours ago
Sam Altman says AI superintelligence is so big that we need a ‘New Deal.’ Critics say OpenAI’s policy ideas are a cover for ‘regulatory nihilism’
AIOpenAI
Sam Altman says AI superintelligence is so big that we need a ‘New Deal.’ Critics say OpenAI’s policy ideas are a cover for ‘regulatory nihilism’
By Sharon GoldmanApril 6, 2026
9 hours ago
altman
AIdisruption
Sam Altman’s big pitch to fix the big AI mess sounds like Jamie Dimon’s: a 4-day workweek and a big new tax on rich people like him
By Jake AngeloApril 6, 2026
10 hours ago
robot with drill in arm
AIRobots
‘No one’s raising their hand’: Japan’s labor crisis is making the case for robots taking the jobs you don’t want
By Catherina GioinoApril 6, 2026
10 hours ago
A construction site sits to the right of the White House
PoliticsWhite House
A $400 million ballroom was just the beginning. Now, Trump plans to spend $174 million more on renovations
By Jacqueline MunisApril 6, 2026
10 hours ago
US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, DC.
PoliticsIran
Trump threatens to ‘take out’ all of Iran in one night. From blackout bombs to ‘discombobulators,’ here’s what that could actually mean
By Eva RoytburgApril 6, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

The U.S. military set up an improvised airfield deep inside Iran to rescue the F-15 airman. Marines just practiced building one in the desert
Politics
The U.S. military set up an improvised airfield deep inside Iran to rescue the F-15 airman. Marines just practiced building one in the desert
By Fortune EditorsApril 5, 2026
2 days ago
During the rescue of the F-15 airman in Iran, the U.S. military blew up two of its own transport planes that had to be left behind
Politics
During the rescue of the F-15 airman in Iran, the U.S. military blew up two of its own transport planes that had to be left behind
By Fortune EditorsApril 5, 2026
2 days ago
A CIA deception campaign in Iran helped the spy agency uncover the location of the downed F-15 airman, who was hiding in a mountain crevice
Politics
A CIA deception campaign in Iran helped the spy agency uncover the location of the downed F-15 airman, who was hiding in a mountain crevice
By Fortune EditorsApril 5, 2026
1 day ago
Millions of Americans paid billions in tariffs later ruled illegal — and they won't see a dime back
Commentary
Millions of Americans paid billions in tariffs later ruled illegal — and they won't see a dime back
By Fortune EditorsApril 6, 2026
17 hours ago
Sam Altman says AI superintelligence is so big that we need a ‘New Deal.’ Critics say OpenAI’s policy ideas are a cover for ‘regulatory nihilism’
AI
Sam Altman says AI superintelligence is so big that we need a ‘New Deal.’ Critics say OpenAI’s policy ideas are a cover for ‘regulatory nihilism’
By Fortune EditorsApril 6, 2026
9 hours ago
Netflix cofounder says he stopped work at 5 p.m. every Tuesday for 30 years to stay 'sane,' no matter the crisis: 'Nothing got in the way of that'
Success
Netflix cofounder says he stopped work at 5 p.m. every Tuesday for 30 years to stay 'sane,' no matter the crisis: 'Nothing got in the way of that'
By Fortune EditorsApril 5, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.