Google Chrome makes Search more Secure

Searching with Google Chrome, More Secure than Ever

Google Chrome version 25 is tweaked by Google a bit in order to give its users a more secure connection. The Big G has finally come to a realization that enabling SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)  during web browsing, whether or not a user is signed in, is a fairly good idea.

This is the reason why starting last Friday, even if you’re not signed in your Google account, you still get to see your contents being served over the SSL to give you a private search experience. Doing so can help you have peace of mind that if malicious hackers intercept your traffic, they won’t be able to see your queries. (Yes, no more stressing about anyone finding out about your obsession with Mark Zuckerberg or about your fondness for cats).

Releasing the official blog post in the Chromium Blog, software engineer Adam Langley has stated that the feature is now going to be a usable function on Google Chrome version 25, which is currently present in the Dev and Beta channels.

Langley has also noted that Google has been a little bit late on the encryption fad since major websites have already started doing so: Gmail started in early 2010, Twitter in February 2012 and also Facebook in November 2012.

New Search Function, Moving Towards Encryption

He also made mention of how the search function has started moving towards encryption, ever since Google started beta-testing it last May 2010. In October of 2011, Google finally made the switch to “https” as the medium for transporting the searches and queries made by its users who were dutifully logged in their respective Google accounts.

Funnily enough, though, Google isn’t the first ever browser to actually decide to adapt to this all-out search security and protection as Mozilla, makers of Chrome’s rival Firefox, has already announced using SSL in their search box last July 2012. Apple’s Safari, naturally, followed suit and started doing the same for their search last September 2012.

And while Google Chrome is a bit late to the SSL party, it’s still nice to hear that Google is still up and running when it comes to security. I mean, not all Chrome users have a Google account so being fair and extending safety to all of its users is a nice move.

On the topic of speed, additionally, Langley said that users don’t have anything to worry about and stated:

Users should not notice any changes. If anything, their searches will be slightly faster due to Chrome’s implementation of the SPDY protocol, but there should be no other user-visible effect.

However, a word of advice: it was also reported that if you are using Chrome at work to search for ‘personal’ queries, your workplace administrator may still find other ways to monitor your web activity; so don’t go ahead and start searching for unacceptable topics that aren’t safe for work.

Search safely.

Do you use Google Chrome? Or do you prefer other browsers instead? Feel free to share and participate in the discussion by commenting below!