Pornhub Goes All-In On Encryption, Now Uses HTTPS By Default

Pornhub, one of the most popular adult entertainment websites in the world, has now added support for encryption. The website will now default to the more secure HTTPS protocol while its sister site YouPorn is set to follow suit on April 4.

HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, is the more secure version of HTTP. The protocol is used to connect users to websites. Users can quickly spot this by looking at a web browser’s address bar.

HTTPS decreases the the risk of users being vulnerable to cyberattacks like eavesdropping. The user’s data is also secure from third parties, and the HTTPS protocol also verifies if a user is connected to the right website, as explained by VentureBeat.

Pornhub is only the fourth adult entertainment website to use HTTPS encryption by default out of the 11 listed on Google’s Transparency Report for the 100 most visited websites. YouPorn will become the fifth next week.

“As one of the most viewed websites in the world, it is our duty to ensure the confidentially and safety of our users,” YouPorn VP Brad Burns said. “The transition to HTTPS will go a long way in solidifying our users’ privacy and protecting them against various types of malware. The data on our webpages will now be encrypted, making it significantly harder for third parties to penetrate.”

The addition of encryption to Pornhub arrived just days after U.S. Congress voted to allow internet service providers (ISPs) to buy consumers’ browsing data. Although HTTPS encryption won’t block ISPs from tracking websites that user’s have visited, at least they won’t know exactly what users are viewing, according to The Verge.

In Pornhub and YouPorn’s case, ISPs will still know if a user is visiting those websites, but they won’t know what videos the user is watching. “Privacy is paramount to us — it always has been,” VP of Pornhub Corey Price said. "With HTTPS, users can rest assured that their browsing data is encrypted, not visible to anyone and, therefore, cannot be sold. While this transition … was in the works before Congress’ appeal, the timing is good."