In order to help users avoid downloading potentially unsafe files from HTTP sites in the browser, Google is developing a new security feature for Chrome.
In case you're not familiar, the protocol used for exchanging data over a network is called HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Most websites used to use HTTP, but an increasing number now use HTTPS, which is a more secure version of this protocol that employs encryption (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure).
Google has improved Chrome's security over the past few years by designating older HTTP sites as "Not Secure" in the browser's address bar. However, it now now prevents HTTPS sites from utilizing HTTP downloads or insecure online forms.
Additionally, Google has included a switch to Chrome's security options that tries to convert HTTP sites to their HTTPS counterparts if a user unintentionally visits an earlier website. According to 9To5Google, the search engine giant now intends to broaden this choice by including blocking Chrome users from downloading files from HTTP sites.
Google will prevent downloads from any page that is still utilizing HTTP, according to a recent code modification (opens in new tab) and an explainer (opens in new tab). Google, though, is going a step farther. For instance, Chrome may block a download as unsafe if an HTTPS download link takes a user to an HTTP server before returning to an HTTPS connection.
However, you will be able to get around the restriction and download a file from an HTTP site, just like with Chrome's previous warnings. This is only worthwhile if you are certain that the website is reliable and is in dire need of the requested file.When the new block unsafe HTTP downloads feature for Chrome is prepared, it will initially be made available as a Chrome flag before going broadly available.
If you've never used Chrome flags, they are essentially beta versions of experimental features that you can access by typing chrome:/flags into the address bar of your browser. Enabling these capabilities, though, means that "you could lose browser data or endanger your security or privacy," as Google cautions at the top of the Chrome flags page, so proceed with care.