Google Chrome: removal of Secure and HTTPS indicators.

[Latitude]

What do you think about this UI change?

Is this an example of bad UI because it isn't informative anymore?

https://www.ghacks.net/2018/05/18/googl ... and-https/

[adesh]

I understand that 99.99% people's brain cannot process that level of detail, but this is going to make people even dumber. Dumb people are good for business.

Chrome's security is sloppy because it *has* to work in all cases, even if the site is not so secure. Because of people's mentality, a site not working in a browser is thought to be the browser's fault. You know, websites have always been secure, from day one. Even when there was no HTTPS. Then came HTTPS. And now it's going to go back where it came from. Thanks to Google. Google is trying to become the Internet Gatekeeper. Soon may come a day when you cannot use Internet without a Google account. Google may be the only CA (Expect-CT). Google may be the only ISP.

[Moonchild]

Removing it is an example of bad UI design because it no longer indicates essential information.

If people are going to do that, then what's the point in pushing for https? If there's no indicator, then the user won't know if they are using a secure connection. While the trend has been to water it down by making it commonplace, it is no less important to check whenever you are using a site where it matters, like finances, confidential personal information, accounts, etc.

[Moonraker]

google calls it innovation but i call it a complete waste of time and it will only confuse the user.No doubt firefox will inherit this new "innovation".

[EbonJaeger]

If there's no indicator, then the user won't know if they are using a secure connection. While the trend has been to water it down by making it commonplace, it is no less important to check whenever you are using a site where it matters, like finances, confidential personal information, accounts, etc.

Iirc, the idea is to display when a site is NOT using HTTPS instead of when it is, like it does now. I'm not sure if thats really any better or worse, especially since 98% of users has no idea what any of that is, even if they do manage to notice the green or red thing on their address bar. :/

[Moonchild]

As recently stated in another thread: https is not just about encryption -- it is also about authentication of the host (i.e.: am I talking to the server/service I intended to contact?).
A negative icon cannot display this information when lack of the icon means "secure". Where are you going to see that you're actually talking to the right server when the "secure connection" indicator is not there?

[EbonJaeger]

As recently stated in another thread: https is not just about encryption -- it is also about authentication of the host (i.e.: am I talking to the server/service I intended to contact?).
A negative icon cannot display this information when lack of the icon means "secure". Where are you going to see that you're actually talking to the right server when the "secure connection" indicator is not there?

I know, and I agree. I also think that after trying to train users for so long that the green box thingy is good, suddenly going in the opposite direction is a Bad Idea. Not that I'm convinced that most people notice, let alone care, one way or the other.