What Does the Lock Icon in the Upper Left Corner of Browsers Actually Mean?

Do you know what the lock icon in the address bar of your internet browser means? If you don’t know, you’re not alone.
A new research reveals that the number of people who know the meaning of this symbol is quite low.

If you think that sites with a lock symbol are safe, you are seriously mistaken!

Now let’s get to the real meaning.

The lock icon appearing in the browser address bar indicates that the data sent between the web server and the user’s computer is encrypted and cannot be read by others.

A survey of 528 internet users revealed that only 5% of respondents knew the true meaning of the lock icon.

Misunderstanding the lock icon can pose serious security risks to internet users.

Most participants thought that the lock icon indicated a secure web page or that the site was free of viruses/suspicious links.

Others thought that this icon meant that the site was “trusted”, not harmful, or a “real” site.

In order to eliminate misunderstandings created by the lock icon, Google replaced this icon with the “setting icon”. Thus, users were able to understand the icon more accurately.