HTTPS Encryption is the secure form of the Internet protocol HTTP. Currently, HTTP is the more common option for websites, but it can put user data at risk because it lacks a secure connection.
Without a secure connection, user content and communications are vulnerable to spying and hacking, web cookies can be stolen, private accounts can be hijacked, personal information and even identity can be stolen, and fraudulent transactions may be incurred. Because of these web security issues, bigger sites like Google, Facebook, and Twitter have HTTPS enabled to help ensure security for their users and their data.
Recently, WordPress joined the community of sites offering HTTPS enabled connections. To protect sensitive user data, WordPress parent company Automattic announced last month that it will make all 600,000 sites that it hosts connect via HTTPS over the course of the next year. As of the time of this post, Automattic had already switched over 100,000 sites to HTTPS protocol.
And the shift in HTTPS enabled internet security is sweeping the online world. When WordPress acquired HTTPS for its sites, there were only 16.5 million domains with secure connections. After WordPress acquired HTTPS, the number of other, non-WordPress sites on the Internet that have secure connections jumped 8 percent, according to Mozilla’s security data. As with many innovations on the Internet, where WordPress leads, others follow.
