Reddit to fully encrypt traffic

Reddit, the self-described “front page of the Internet,” will start encrypting all of its traffic by the end of the month, joining other major Internet players that have made similar moves in recent months.

“We’re ready to enforce that everyone use a secure connection with reddit,” wrote Ricky Ramirez, Reddit’s systems administrator, in a short post.

{mosads}Many digital giants, including Facebook, Google and Wikipedia, have all already transitioned to what’s known as HTTPS everywhere. Most websites continue to use the unencrypted HTTP protocol to communicate data.

HTTPS, or HTTP secure, locks down that data. Digital-rights advocates have long argued the entire Internet should employ HTTPS browsing.

The move to encrypt the entire Internet been gathering considerable steam as people became aware of the ubiquity of hackers and the pervasiveness of government digital snooping.

Even the U.S. government recently said all federal websites will only provide service through an encrypted connection by the end of 2016.

But the tech community has repeatedly clashed with the government over encryption, accusing it of not supporting strong, robust encryption.

Government officials maintain that while strong encryption is key to free speech and fighting oppression, it also enables criminals to operate without fear of detection.

Because of this, the White House is seeking some form of guaranteed access to digital communications. Technologists insist any such move will only serve to weaken encryption.