Scared of snoops finding out what you’re searching for on Google? Have no fear: the comany has introduced encrypted search which gives the user the option to use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to prevent packet sniffing which in turn could reveal user’s searches on the site.

“We think users will appreciate this new option for searching,” Software Engineer Evan Roseman said. “It’s a helpful addition to users’ online privacy and security, and we’ll continue to add encryption support for more search offerings.”

Accessing the secure version of Google search would be as simple as using https:// instead of http://, and should begin to be available to users starting today. As with any Google product, the service is launching as a beta (shocker!).

Users should be ready to expect a little slowness in the service as it does take longer for a secure connection to be established vis à vis a insecure one. At first, it will also only be available only for Web searches and not across Google’s other search options.

 
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