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Is HTTPS a scam?
(lemm.ee)
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this post was submitted on 14 Feb 2024
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HTTP is like using a postcard, HTTPS is using a sealed envelope. Which would you use for your bank information?
The "third party gatekeeper" does more than just secure data, it also acts as a validation that your site is what it says it is. So if someone jacks your domain out from under you and hosts something totally different, people can tell that something's up.
99% of us with websites never touch bank information.
But would you be OK taking all the stuff you write on those websites, and scrawling it on a giant chalkboard in your town square instead? One where anyone can see (or even change) what you've written?
That's never been an issue for me.
Yes, I can see how that would be a bad thing but it's so hypothetical. Why do we even care? Do we really feel the breath of the NSA on our neck to that degree?
back in the day, i used to sit in the airport and read nearby peoples email, watch them browse sites. https and other security measures make this actually difficult now.
you should be concerned with more than just 3 letter agencies.
You can not only use that information for e.g. blackmail, but also to build material to manipulate you to do things without you knowing.
Information is a powerful tool.
And http still works in any browser I know of.
I kind of get your frustration though. I set up my personal website precisely to get away from big platforms; yet my HTTPS is validated by Google. It feels like a defeat still having them involved in the process.
I have HTTPS on all my services and the only third-party involved is Let's Encrypt.
If I really wanted to, I could create my own authority and certificates, and as long as people connecting to it trusted my authority they'll have encrypted and trusted connections without any third party involved.
Yeah, there's ways around it for sure, so it's not the end of the world.
I'm not super technical though, so as my hosting provider uses Google for HTTPS authentication I'll just reluctantly stick with that for now. Of course I could have found a different provider, but I found it a somewhat difficult market to navigate. I'm enough of a rookie that part of me is just happy things seem to be working - when I set up the website a few months ago I kind of assumed HTTPS was some black magic stuff that I would never manage to implement.
I remember when I thought it was black magic, but after doing some work creating my own certificate authority and self-signed certificates it makes a lot more sense.
Now Kubernetes, that's black magic
Thank you.
Use http and Chrome calls you insecure and there's a red flag and you have to hit a special button... daunting for the average user for sure.
Firefox is good tho.
One person pointed out that letsencrypt is backed by a bunch of good powerful people. Which might be bullshit but it makes me think again.