The only difference is in the transport - HTTPS instead of HTTP. Everything else about the protocol is the same - browsers can still send referrer information i

The only difference is in the transport - HTTPS instead of HTTP. Everything else about the protocol is the same - browsers can still send referrer information in their requests, cookies can still be set, and so on - it's just that a passive observer sniffing the network will not be able to see anything other than an encrypted connection to google. This really is google just playing their cards at the right time and cashing in on the current privacy bandwagon in the media, casting themselves in a positive light. It doesn't alleviate any real privacy issues, whatever they are, with google. There isn't a downside for us users - it's a good option for google to provide - it will cost them money in infrastructure, and will slow down the user experience by a significant factor - (you might not thing a half second matters, but it does, and google knows this - so this is possibly a convenient time for them to introduce this feature while people are focused on WHY privacy is important)