Google enables Gmail encryption for everyone

Google announced on Tuesday that it will enable the setting “always use https,” which encrypts email as it travels between a user's web browser and Google servers, by default for all Gmail users. Using "https" helps prevent data from being snooped, especially in public W-Fi hotspots, but could make email functions slower since encrypted data travels slower than unmasked data, Sam Schillace, Gmail engineering director, wrote in a blog post Tuesday. Previously, Google left the option of whether to enable the setting up to the user. — AM