Encryption is now essential for every online user .
Many tech giants, including Google, Apple, and Yahoo, are adopting encryption methods to offer users security and privacy, but according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), high-end Web Security technology should not be limited to just the wealthiest tech companies.
The non-profit EFF partnered with large and well-known companies, including Mozilla, Cisco, and Akamai, to offer free HTTPS/SSL certificates for servers in early 2015, in order to encourage users to encrypt their connections to their websites.
Until now, changing a web server to HTTPS from HTTP has required a lot of work and expense from website administrators, and is extremely difficult to install and maintain. However, after the establishment of this new free Certificate Authority (CA), called Let's Encrypt, it will be even easier for administrators to maintain encrypted and secure HTTPS websites.
Let's Encrypt aims to provide an easier way to obtain and use digital encryption (TLS) certificates to secure websites.
Let's Encrypt is a joint effort by Mozilla, Cisco Systems, Akamai Technologies, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, certificate provider IdenTrust, and researchers from the University of Michigan.
Web developers who want to try out the service can visit GitHub, where the code is publicly available. However, it should be noted that it is not yet suitable for production servers, as in that case users are likely to receive multiple certificate warnings, preventing access to the relevant website.
