Google has announced that Gmail will now operate using HTTPS, a secure connection between a browser and a server, by default. Previously, users could turn on HTTPS connections as default in their settings, but the situation has now been reversed.
Google said that after taking a look at the trade-off between speed and security, the primary concern in this case, they decided that it was worth it to the end-user to automatically use a secure connection.
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A group of 37 security and privacy specialists sent Google a letter (.pdf) last June, urging the company to offer this feature. Gmail became the third largest email provider last August, with more than 37 million unique visitors.
For all of you sitting at a coffee shop all day, using its unsecured wireless network, Google may have just saved you some serious headaches. That extra couple of seconds of load-time may just be worth it. Of course, if you don't use Gmail or your service doesn't offer HTTPS, there are always solutions like Pretty Good Privacy to keep your private emails secure.
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