Google has been pursuing the goal for years that all connections on the Internet should be encrypted and thanks to the in-house Chrome browser, this goal can be brought into the consciousness for the user. For example, in Chrome, a small icon in front of the URL indicates that a page is not encrypted. But with this rather subtle hint it should not stay.

With the Chrome version 68, the browser should warn more clearly against unencrypted connections – including the text “Not Secure”. The “Not Secure” text is expected to be displayed in gray. However, if a user enters data in a form field, the reference to the non-existent encryption becomes red and thus more conspicuous. The browser version is expected to be released in July 2018. So there is still some time left to switch websites to https.

The Chrome version 69 is a step in the other direction because the label for secure pages is taken back a bit. In the first step, only the lock will be displayed (not in green, but in standard gray). However, it is believed that this icon will soon be completely eliminated. This then makes it clear again that secure connections should be standard.

In Europe, the encoding of forms is already mandatory due to the GDPR and should now be implemented everywhere – but for some webmasters this may still mean a bit of work in the coming weeks, if you want to comply with Google’s recommendations.