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November 25, 2024 0

Which Browsers Still Use the Security Padlock Icon?

in Beyond Hashed Out, Hashing Out Cyber Security

The browser padlock icon has been widely used for decades, but some browsers have moved away from it.

The security padlock icon’s meaning has been synonymous with website security for 30+ years. However, perceptions about the symbol have changed in recent years. Industry leaders debate whether the padlock symbol in front of a URL communicates the right message to users: that the connection is secure, meaning encrypted. Some worry it creates a false sense of security for users.

Unfortunately, according to Google’s research, 89% of surveyed users misinterpreted the padlock icon’s meaning. The visual clue was often misconstrued as meaning that a website is safe and trustworthy. However, the reality is that safe and secure don’t mean the same thing — after all, bad guys can use encrypted connections by installing basic validation SSL/TLS certificates.

This is why some browsers dropped this visual security indicator altogether while others continue to display it. Today, we’ll see which browsers still use the padlock symbol in front of the URL and which ones have traded it in for different visuals.

Let’s hash it out.

Breaking Down Which of the Top 5 Browsers Use the Padlock Icon

Before diving into the list of browsers still using the padlock icon, we first must identify which browsers to check. Statscounter.com’s October 2024 data indicates the following were among the six most popular browsers across all platforms (desktop, mobile, and tablet):

1. Google Chrome (66.68% of the market share)
2. Apple Safari (18.07% of the market share)
3. Microsoft Edge (5.25% of the market share)
4. Mozilla Firefox (2.65% of the market share)
5. Opera (2.2% of the market share)

Reminder: Browsers will only display the padlock icon for websites that have SSL/TLS certificates installed. If there’s no certificate, then there’s no chance of a padlock showing.

Of course, it’ll be interesting to see how the dynamics may change if Google is forced to sell its Chrome browser based on the groundbreaking August 2024 ruling against the tech giant. Google announced that it plans to fight the Department of Justice’s divestiture demands by filing a counter-proposal and making a broader case in 2025.         

Now that we have all that out of the way, it’s time to see which browsers display the security padlock icon in their URL bars and on what platforms. For this example, we’ll examine the browsers’ desktop web clients (on Windows) and iOS mobile apps.

1. Google Chrome — NO

Although Google chose to display the security padlock for many years, it’s now a thing of the past in Chrome. In Summer 2023, Chrome announced that it would drop the padlock icon in its browser (Chrome version 117) in favor of its more generic “tune” icon:

But what about Google Chrome’s iOS mobile app? The world’s leading web browser doesn’t display the padlock icon in the browser bar there, either. In fact, it doesn’t display anything in the URL bar except the web address:

2. Apple Safari — YES

Apple Safari displays the security padlock icon in both its desktop browser and iOS mobile app. Here’s a quick look at how the padlock displays in the desktop browser:

What about iPhone iOS users — what will they see in the URL bar when they visit websites?

3. Microsoft Edge — YES (and NO)

Alright, now that we’ve had our fun with Steve Jobs’ beloved browser, let’s swing back around to Bill Gates’ Microsoft web client. Microsoft Edge, which initially launched in 2015 and released its Chromium-based version in 2020, eventually replaced Internet Explorer.

For those keeping track, Edge adds another checkmark to the “Yes” column for desktop browsers that display the security icon:  

When you click on it, you’re shown information about the site’s connection encryption status and whether tracking prevention is enabled. It also offers an opportunity to review your browser’s permissions and cookie settings.

How about its iOS counterpart? If you guessed YES, then you’d be wrong. The mobile app for iPhone users doesn’t display the padlock icon but does show a blue shield icon:

4. Mozilla Firefox — YES

Mozilla Firefox, which has been around for more than 20 years, continues to use the browser security icon. It does this in its desktop-based web client to let users know that they’re using encrypted, secure connections:

Image caption: A screenshot of the circled padlock symbol in front of the URL in the Mozilla Firefox browser.

When you click on the lock, it’ll display the “connection secure” message you’re used to seeing, indicating that the connection is encrypted end to end.

What about Firefox’s mobile browser for iOS devices? It, too, displays the padlock icon:

5. Opera — YES (and NO)

The Opera browser has been around since the mid-1990s. While it never gained the level of notoriety shared by its Google and Microsoft counterparts, it’s still loved by users who value privacy.

Now, on to the big question: does Opera show the padlock symbol in front of a URL in the desktop client? Ding, ding! It sure does, along with a VPN toggle that you can click on to turn on and off (it’s set to “off” automatically):

How about Opera’s iOS app — does the mobile browser have the VPN toggle or padlock symbol in front of the URL? Surprisingly, the company followed Google’s lead and opted not to display the padlock — or, in this case, any symbol — in the URL bar:

Final Thoughts on Padlock Symbols in Browser URL Bars

Some browsers opt to display the padlock icon while others take a mixed approach, displaying the symbol on the desktop client but not in the mobile app for iOS users. Then there’s Google, which removed the icon from both platforms entirely…

We hope that this article has provided clarity about what the padlock security mark symbolizes and which browsers do (and don’t) display it across their platforms.

• #Padlock Icon
• #Security Indicators