Chrome will soon ditch the lock icon in favor of a new design: what does it matter?

The Chrome browser has a security feature that tells you if you’ve opened a dangerous website with an HTTPS icon in the link or URL and a lock icon next to it. But Google now wants to make some changes as part of the design of the Material You elements, and soon you will get a new icon that will replace the lock icon without changing the quality of protection for vulnerable websites.

Material You has become a central part of Google’s design language, not only in Pixel devices, but also in other products such as Google Docs, Gmail, and Calendar. Google has been planning to make these changes for some time, and now a date has been set for September when Chrome’s address bar will get a new look and icons. So why is Google making the change?

According to the company, the purpose of the lock icon was to educate people about navigating dangerous websites that did not have an HTTPS prefix in their URL. But now it is certain that HTTPS is no longer necessary because most websites are secure and the new icon will give them more information when they click on it.

The lock icon is replaced by a tuning icon, which also contains information such as permissions required by the website (use of your location, microphone and other sensors) and site settings. Google understands that the use of the lock icon was no longer an indication of the website’s security, as hackers were able to use HTTPS and the lock icon for phishing sites as well.

Google even conducted a survey that found only 11 percent of participants knew the actual purpose of the lock icon. The tuning icon reflects a change in the identity of websites running on Chrome, especially those with HTTP added before the website URL in the address bar. These changes are part of the Chrome 117 update that will be released in September of this year. The new icon will initially come to Chrome on the desktop, and Chrome for Android will get it later.

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