Google has announced the addition of HTTPS-First mode in Chrome 94, similar to the HTTPS Only mode that appeared in Firefox 83. When attempting to access resources without encryption via HTTP, the browser will first try to reach the HTTPS version of the site. If this attempt fails, users will be shown a warning indicating the lack of HTTPS support, along with an option to open the site without encryption. In Chrome 94, the new mode will be available as a separately enabled option, but Google is considering making HTTPS-First the default for all users in the future (Mozilla also has similar plans to enable HTTPS Only by default in Firefox).
According to Google statistics, over 90% of requests in Chrome currently use HTTPS. The addition of HTTPS-First is expected to improve this figure. In the long run, support for HTTP will be retained in Chrome, but Google plans to implement additional warnings to inform users about threats when accessing non-encrypted sites, as well as to restrict access to certain web-platform features for pages opened via HTTP.
At the same time, it was announced that an experiment will be conducted in Chrome 93 to replace the secure connection indicator (padlock in the address bar) with a more neutral symbol that does not lend itself to dual interpretation (for example, 'V'), which, when clicked, opens a dialog with page settings. The indicator 'not secure' will continue to be shown for connections established without encryption. The reason for replacing the indicator is that many users associate the padlock icon with the trustworthiness of the site’s content, rather than viewing it as a sign of encryption. According to a Google survey, only 11% of users understand the meaning of the padlock icon.
Source: opennet.ru
