Google to remove "secure" indicator from HTTPS pages on Chrome

As part of its push to make the web safer, Google on Thursday said it will stop marking HTTPS pages as "secure."

The logic behind the move, Google explained, is that "users should expect that the web is safe by default." It will remove the green padlock and "secure" wording from the address bar beginning with Chrome 69 in September.

Google previously announced that it would mark HTTP pages as "not secure" beginning with Chrome 68 in July.

By October with Chrome 70, Google will start showing a red "not secure" warning when users enter data on HTTP pages. "Previously, HTTP usage was too high to mark all HTTP pages with a strong red warning," Google said.

Google has taken other steps to encourage the use of HTTPS, a secure encryption standard for data in transit. For instance, the company has ranked sites with HTTPS higher in its search results.

There are some free and easy ways to secure a website. For instance, the non-profit Internet Security Research Group (ISRG)'s Let's Encrypt offers free SSL certificates.