We've talked before about HTTPS, what it does, and why you should use it. Many sites, like Gmail (and Facebook, with caveats) have options that let you browse with HTTPS always turned on, but the HTTPS Everywhere extension makes this simpler. Instead of turning it on for individual sites, HTTPS Everywhere will automatically routes all your data through a secure connection on any of its 1,400 supported web sites, keeping your information safe and away from prying eyes—in short, it's an extension everyone should have installed.
HTTPS Everywhere has long been a favorite of Firefox users, but today marks the first time Chrome users can get in on the fun, with a new beta version of the extension that quietly sits in your address bar and switches you to HTTPS whenever possible. The Firefox version has also been updated to 2.0, which adds a new feature called the Observatory which, when turned on, detects encryption weaknesses and will notify you when you're browsing a site with a security vulnerability. To read more about the new version of the extension and install it in your browser, hit the link below.
HTTPS Everywhere is a free extension, works wherever Chrome and Firefox do.
New 'HTTPS Everywhere' Version Warns Users About Web Security Holes | Electronic Frontier Foundation
Photo by dgbomb (Shutterstock).