Last month, Google announced a secure search URL, which you can use to send search terms and receive results from the search engine in encrypted form. This means that using this URL will prevent anyone sniffing on a network from detecting what you’re searching for.
However, Google has had to change the URL to https://encrypted.google.com, apparently under pressure from educational institutions so students’ searches will not bypass content filters. Using the old URL, https://www.google.com, meant that it was not possible to block the use of the encrypted search feature, because the only difference in the URL is the https prefix instead of http. With the new URL, schools can block encryted.google.com, so such searches will not be possible and content filters will be able to block searches and results.
What does this mean for the rest of us? Just that you need to update your bookmark if you do use the encrypted Google search page.
