Google has made a lot of headlines lately. The giant search engine popular enough to create a new verb in the English language plans to favor SSL encrypted websites in search results. Search engines like Google, however, aren’t the only ones pushing for a safer web. Several popular web browsers have made similar announcements, promising to ban unsecure HTTP websites in favor of the more secure HTTPS in the near future.

This move is the result of a series of factors, including Google’s announcement, the threat of POODLE attacks, and a general push for increased security online. The fact that Google’s browser, Chrome, will likely follow in the search engine’s footsteps also pushes other browsers to make changes to support the new security measures. Since phasing out unsecure HTTP addresses keeps browsers both current and secure, it’s little wonder several notable companies have joined the push. Security is by far their greatest concern. Users must feel safe using these browsers or they will gradually move to more secure options as man-in-the-middle data theft increases.

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