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Google Chrome To Remove 'Secure' Indicator From HTTPS Pages in September (bleepingcomputer.com)
Google announced Thursday it plans to drop the "Secure" indicator from the Chrome URL address bar -- starting with Chrome v68, set for release in July -- and only show a lock icon when the user is navigating to an HTTPS-secured website. From a report: The move is scheduled to take effect with the release of Chrome 69, scheduled for September, this year. Emily Schechter, Product Manager for Chrome Security, said the company is now comfortable making this move as a large chunk of Chrome's traffic is now via HTTPS. Since most traffic is HTTPS anyway, it's not necessary to draw the user's attention to the "Secure" indicator anymore.
The title is misleading, they aren't removing the secure indicator, they are just removing the word "secure" but leaving the lock icon which indicates the exact same thing.
I was confused by the summary and so I RTFA.
The change is more along the lines of, "we are no longer emphasizing when a site is secure, we are emphasizing when it is NOT secure."
They are adding a "Not Secure" message to sites without https, as a bonus they plan to add flashing redness to the "Not Secure" message if you try to type into a form on that page.
Overall, I approve, the "everything's OK alarm" can go.