EncryptionFrom encrypting the web to encrypting the net: 2018 year in review
We saw 2017 tip the scales for HTTPS. In 2018, web encryption continues to improve. The focus has begun to shift toward email security, and the security community is shifting its focus toward further hardening TLS, the protocol that drives encryption on the Internet.
We saw 2017 tip the scales for HTTPS. In 2018, web encryption continues to improve. EFF has begun to shift its focus towards email security, and the security community is shifting its focus towards further hardening TLS, the protocol that drives encryption on the Internet.
By default, all Internet traffic is unencrypted and subject to tampering, including HTTP. A technology called TLS (Transport Layer Security) can provide authenticated encryption and message integrity so no one can mess with or listen in on your Internet traffic. Since 2010, EFF has been actively campaigning to encrypt the entire web—that is, for websites to adopt HTTPS, which is TLS added to HTTP. Due to the success we’ve seen on web, EFF is zooming out and tracking encryption of the entire Internet, starting with email.
Let’s take a closer look at what has happened this year in encrypting not just the web, but the entire Internet!
Continuing the trend in encrypting the web
It has been a landmark year in encrypting the web. As of writing, 77% of pageloads across the world in Firefox are over HTTPS, and that number looks even higher on Chrome.
On the browser side, HTTPS Everywhere continues to see improvements in both user experience and security. With over a million daily active users and over five million downloads just this year, the extension is in a great position to provide more security features to users as HTTPS support continues to rise. The extension provides a more complete and up-to-date dataset of websites that support HTTPS, which can help navigate more severe security errors and help push insecure sites to make the move to HTTPS through user advocacy. We hope in the next year to provide a platform for users to encourage even more sites to support HTTPS.
