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"Google encrypted all Gmail accounts in response to the hacking incidents that prompted its decision to move its Chinese-language search operation from Beijing
by jhancock 16y ago
"Google encrypted all Gmail accounts in response to the hacking incidents that prompted its decision to move its Chinese-language search operation from Beijing to Hong Kong."
Its a shame they couldn't do it because customers have been asking for it.
- dedward 16y agoI believe gmail always had HTTPS as an option - in 2008 they added an option to selectively make it the default if you want - now they've reversed that and made it the default from the start. There is strong reasoning, backed up by user experience testing that the small delays introduced by SSL on web pages add up to big drops in retention... and business is business. HTTPS connection setup is significantly slower than a regular connection - you may not think that sub-second delays matter but they absolutely do in the competitive web-app world.
- jhancock 16y agoDo you have evidence that HTTPS results in user retention problems for gmail? I have heard that it may for search. These are two very different use cases. I can recall users and articles in years past asking for https to be default for gmail. Yes, us geeks knew its been an option for a while. My original post was simply pointing that the decision should be made based on what users want...not as an excuse so the media or Google can publish inflammatory digs in their issues with China.