GMAIL IN HTTPS !!

Google Makes HTTPS For Gmail Mandatory

Google no longer allows Gmail users to turn off HTTPS encryption. The move protects data going between Google's servers and users.

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Moving to restore trust in cloud computing services, Google said Thursday that it has made encrypted HTTPS connections mandatory for Gmail.

"Today's change means that no one can listen in on your messages as they go back and forth between you and Gmail's servers -- no matter if you're using public WiFi or logging in from your computer, phone or tablet," Nicolas Lidzborski, Google security engineering lead, wrote in a blog post.

The company turned HTTPS on by default in 2010. From then until now, users were able to disable it -- for the sake of marginal speed gains or compatibility -- but no longer.

Google has long been at the forefront of online security, partially out of necessity, because it is frequently targeted by hackers. It was one of the first online companies to introduce two-step authentication. And it says Google Apps for Government was the first set of cloud computing apps to receive Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) certification from the US government. (Microsoft disputed this in 2011, and Google said Microsoft's allegations were false.)