Security & Privacy + Software & Apps

Google has announced a new feature in Gmail whereby you can choose to have a permanent encrypted connection to Gmail, no matter which computer you use to access the site.

Google uses “https to protect your password every time you log into Gmail, but we don’t use https once you’re in your mail unless you ask for it (by visiting https://mail.google.com rather than http://mail.google.com). Why not? Because the downside is that https can make your mail slower.” The difference in speed is moot, so it is a good idea to use HTTPS (secure HTTP) whenever you are on a public computer. This is a good idea if you “regularly log in via unencrypted wireless connections at coffee shops or airports or college dorms.”

So Google has added a setting which will always redirect an HTTP connection to an HTTPS connection. In the Settings section of the Gmail page, look at the Browser connection setting, and check Always use https.

From then on, all your connections to Gmail will be protected. Google says that they are in the process of adding this feature to other Google services, such as Google Apps.