What exactly does that little green lock that occasionally appears on your browser's address bar mean? It means security, and Chrome is making it easier for developers to see how to make their websites more secure for users.
According to a Chromium blog post, the open-source browser project that Google bases Chrome off of, a new security panel will be coming to Chrome Developer Tools that gives developers a breakdown of what they need to do to earn the coveted green lock.
For users, the green lock means peace of mind -- when sending over important data like payment or personal information on the Internet, the green lock ensures the data is encrypted and there are no third parties looking at your information.
On Chrome, the green lock means that a website meets certain security standards, including having a trusted server certificate, a secure and private connection, and secure subresources. The new update allows developers to view whether each of these standards is met or not, which lets them figure out how to make your information safer while browsing their site.
This security translates to an “HTTPS” instead of an “HTTP” in the URL, which signifies a secure-connection protocol over the network.
“HTTPS preserves the integrity of your website and ensures connections with your users are encrypted,” Google employees Emily Stark and Lucas Garron wrote in the blog post.
Not only does the green lock make your web-surfing safer, it factors into Google Search results. According to a 2014 blog post by Google, websites with an HTTPS protocol receive a ranking boost in search results, which further encourages developers to shoot for that green lock.
The security panel is currently available in beta for developers to check out and will be rolling out more widely in the coming days.