Google Redirected Me to Encrypted Search - Instantly :)

[FranticFish]

The following message was cut out of thread at: Encrypted Google Search (Beta) Launched [webmasterworld.com]

There are no plans to make SSL search the default

Matt Cutts speak with forked tongue!

Found this thread just today as I went to Google.com to check the 'instant' results and was redirected instantly to Google SSL.

The logo has a little padlock above the 'e' and there is a link to 'classic Google'.

This strikes me as a real biggy. If you don't use Analytics, either you pay for an SSL cert and 301 your entire site, or you get used to no referrer data from Google. Surely a class action lawsuit from other stats providers must be on the cards here?

[edited by: tedster at 12:43 pm (utc) on Sep 9, 2010]

[Brett_Tabke]

take a screen shot if it happens again.

[FranticFish]

OK, got one - [the-infidel.co.uk...]

Just tried in IE and Firefox to go to Google.com, got redirected to Google.co.uk - I have toolbar installed in both these browsers.

In Chrome, I've tried three times hours apart to go to Google.com - each time today it's taken me to the https version.

I first saw the 'Jazz' interface on Chrome as standard (i.e. permanent) before I saw it using other browsers.

[grelmar]

I just got this a few minutes ago. Went to google.com and got the encrypted beta site automatically.
screenie [canadianvote.ca]

No toolbar in this browser.

Note the 9-11 remembrance ribbon on the screen (for date reference).

I went to play around with the search as you type feature. One thing I noticed was that search as you type was disabled when I was getting the SSL Beta site.

Also, the sub-domain changed once I hit enter to get search results, and it became:

[encrypted.google.com...] keyword blat)

You can use the [encrypted.google.com...] url to play with the SSL site reliably if you want.

[brycen]

My wife was silently defaulted to google SSL search yesterday. The end of referring site data is near (See [webmasterworld.com...] ).

[Robert Charlton]

I'm curious whether this happens when you're on a Wi-Fi connection or in a situation that Google might have reason to believe is insecure.

[TheMadScientist]

I've had it happen randomly on the same connection Robert, so my guess is it's in 'test mode' and N% of users are sent there... I've landed there both logged in and not logged in, on the same connection, so IMO connection / security is not part of the reason, and neither is logged in/out.

[FranticFish]

Second that, I've been on a fixed IP and correctly geotargeted since August and always surf logged out.

[Robert Charlton]

so my guess is it's in 'test mode' and N% of users are sent there...

I'm sure it's in test mode. The question is, what are they testing? Whether you'll try to delete the s in https? ;)

[TheMadScientist]

The question is, what are they testing?

Hmmm, well you made me think a bit and my guess is: Tracking.

ADDED:
Why would I need to search securely? I can't think of a reason.
Why would they want me to search securely? Tracking.

If they could find a way to identify a browser via cert and/or key they don't need the cookie.

ADDED x 2:
If I remember correctly, a while ago there was something about them re-inventing the https wheel to make it faster ... I wonder how 'personalized' they made it?

I could be mistaken, but I'm fairly sure I read something about them coming up with a new way to do https a while ago.