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Firefox enables HTTPS safe searching as default setting

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Follow up to New ‘HTTPS Everywhere’ Version Warns Users About Web Security Holes see the following from privacy researcher Christopher Soghoian – Firefox switching to HTTPS Google search by default (and the end of referrer leakage).

  • “A few days ago, Mozilla’s developers quietly enabled Google’s HTTPS encrypted search as the default search service for the “nightly” developer trunk of the Firefox browser (it will actually use the SPDY protocol). This change should reach regular users at some point in the next few months…This is a big deal for the 25% or so of Internet users who use Firefox to browse the web, bringing major improvements in privacy and security. First, the search query information from these users will be shielded from their Internet service providers and governments who might be using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) equipment to monitor the activity of users or censor and filter search results. Second, the search query information will also be shielded from the websites that consumer visit after conducting a search. This information is normally leaked via the “referrer header”.”
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