# Why does Google URL now start https:// **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-url-now-start-https/607945 "2011-12-31T14:45:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-url-now-start-https/607945/21 "2012-07-19T02:44:38Z")
I use [https://maps.google.co.nz](https://maps.google.co.nz) as the start page for Google maps but using IE7 I always get “There is a problem with this website’s security certificate.” on first landing there. It’s because the certificate is issued to \*.google.com, not \*.google.co.nz. I’m surprised this is happening and that Google hasn’t sorted it out. Does it happen with \*.google.ca or \*.google.com.au? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-url-now-start-https/607945/22 "2012-07-19T02:50:43Z")
Sometimes I forget to leave the last ‘S’ off for savings and end up overpaying. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-url-now-start-https/607945/23 "2012-07-19T03:17:14Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Sometimes I forget to leave the last ‘S’ off for savings and end up overpaying. :mad: I see what you did there, **Rhythmdvl**. How DO you sleep at night? 🙂 -D/a ---
**Author:** ![timhodgeaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@timhodgeaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timhodgeaz)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-url-now-start-https/607945/24 "2013-12-22T16:15:16Z")
Not exactly a hijack, virus, or malware… but very frustrating. A site you have been too hijacked your browser to slightly alter the way google acts. Some variants simply put https… others additional stuff at the end of the URL. **It’s simple to fix. Go to Firefox help… Choose Troubleshooting Information… Click on Reset Firefox.** It will save all your bookmarks etc. After doing this, if your home page should be [http://google.com](http://google.com) it will be. **The main bother to all this is that the actual search field loses it’s automatic “focus”, meaning when you go there the cursor was not left in the search field but at the end of the URL. ANNOYING.** Resetting as above does the trick. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-url-now-start-https/607945/25 "2013-12-22T16:26:19Z")
Sorry to repeat if it has been said above, but the ‘S’ is a very good thing. It means that all communications between your computer and where you are trying to go is strongly encrypted and cannot be read by any sites other than the one you are trying to read (the URL). It is not a result of a virus or malware. Bob ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-url-now-start-https/607945/26 "2013-12-23T13:59:25Z")
I assumed it was a reaction to revelations about the NSA and similar snooping. HTTPS simply means the connection between you and the target is encrypted. That way, your company’s firewall, the police snooping on your line, of the NSA, cannot tell what you are searching for and what you click on (unless that takes you to an outside http site). Everything you do within Google is private. I find it very annoying, as mentioned, when I retype addresses but leave the “[https://www](https://www).” part. for many websites, there is no https or it takes you to a different place than http. Facebook and such will use https because you are logged in. Part of the login is the secure connection, to ensure that the data they receive for that session is from only you. (Otherwise, a clever hacker might start spoofing your address once you entered a password). https uses the public/private key crypto - they send you a public key, you use it to send data, that only their private key can decode; decoding the public key encoding is almost impossible without the private key, so it’s fairly secure. Others intercepting the transmission cannot tell what you sent. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-url-now-start-https/607945/27 "2013-12-23T15:15:05Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I assumed it was a reaction to revelations about the NSA and similar snooping. This thread was started in 2011. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-url-now-start-https/607945.md?page=1)