There are a couple of reason. Encryption also preserves the data integrity. That means your ISP cannot inject ads or tracking scripts. I’ve heard that this is a

There are a couple of reason. Encryption also preserves the data integrity. That means your ISP cannot inject ads or tracking scripts. I’ve heard that this is already quite common in some countries (including mobile services in the US). This also means that nobody who sits between the server and your internet connection can inject falsified information into that static page. You also have more privacy. An attack can see that you are accessing Hacker News but not necessary what comment section you are on (though it can sometimes be inferred by the page size). You might not care about that about your oldschool static side but someone who lives in suppressive countries might because it might make a big difference if they only access Hacker News for the latest and trendiest node framework or if you actively research the comments about articles how your country does something bad.