Chrome will soon block HTTP downloads for improved security

Over the years, web security has been improved to be more secure and better at protecting users and their data. This is why Google has been making a push for web developers and websites to start using HTTPS connections instead of HTTP which many websites used to use in the past.

Now it seems that Google is taking things one step further by implementing an option within Chrome that will allow users to block downloads from HTTP websites. What does this mean? Basically if a website uses a HTTPS connection but then redirects users to a HTTP server for the download, Chrome will block the download if the option has been enabled.

This is because some websites might try to circumvent Chrome’s warnings about HTTP websites by hosting their website on a HTTPS server, but use a HTTP server for their downloads. Keep in mind that Google isn’t banning these websites since users are more than welcome to disable the feature if they wish, but it could spur websites who are still relying on HTTP connections for their downloads to make the switch.

That being said, this feature is currently in development and it is only expected to roll out in full in 2023, but it might be something to keep an eye out for especially for those who do a lot of direct downloads from websites.

Source: 9to5Google