Wikipedia goes all-HTTPS, starting immediately

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by ronjor, Jun 12, 2015.

  1. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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  2. oliverjia

    oliverjia Registered Member

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    Good decision. I think it's time for all websites to get onboard. It's been long enough.
     
  3. Snoop3

    Snoop3 Registered Member

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    whats the goal, to bypass adblockers like hosts files? does WP have ads on their site?
    when google did the same thing i suspect that was their reason.
     
  4. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

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    AFAIK encrypting http traffic doesn't bypass neither adblockers nor hosts file redirects.
     
  5. Kobayashi maru

    Kobayashi maru Registered Member

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    https doesn't do much when third parties are allowed. Like banks having flash based ads from remote servers. All it does is allow sites to traverse normal http blocking tricks, and allows them to be nosy.

    Google is a far better search result using http, and I feel better about the nonsense i'm feeding them.
     
  6. ArchiveX

    ArchiveX Registered Member

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    Wise decision...;)
     
  7. Snoop3

    Snoop3 Registered Member

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    hmm, maybe idk enough about it then but i thought for https, you had to block their ads or tracking directly in the browser (with an add-on like ABP) because its bypassing hosts file, peer block, any of that kind of stuff.
     
  8. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

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    Hosts file redirects DNS request to non-existent IP. DNS requests are the same for http and https site. If you have http://example.com in hosts file all requests for https://example.com will be blocked also.
     
  9. xxJackxx

    xxJackxx Registered Member

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    Like some of the others, wondering what the point is here. I would think it accomplishes nothing, at the expense of more bandwidth. I upload nothing, it requires no credentials, and they are probably logging all searches to the IP address that originated the search anyway. If they are not, someone else likely is (ISP, NSA, someone). Faux security is a waste of my time.
     
  10. Snoop3

    Snoop3 Registered Member

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    i dont think this is correct. anyone else got an opinion?
     
  11. SweX

    SweX Registered Member

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    No. Never have, and probably never will.
     
  12. SirDrexl

    SirDrexl Registered Member

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    The hosts file does not specify the protocol; if you look at custom file (like MVPS), you'll see that the entries have no http:// or https:// with them.

    If you use such a file, try going to a site with http and again with https and you'll see that both requests are blocked.
     
  13. Victek

    Victek Registered Member

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    This from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Secure_server

    There are several situations when the secure server can be useful:

    • Using the secure server gives some protection against eavesdropping, and most of all it protects against others snooping your Wikipedia password or cookie (for example with tools like Firesheep). Eavesdropping is a problem especially when connecting through a wireless network, a company or school network, or a public computer such as an Internet café.
    • Some users have a bad Internet connection that intermittently mangles characters. This can cause all kinds of weird problems while editing pages. This mostly happens when connected over wireless or mobile networks. Using the secure server fixes this, since the secure connection has much better error detection than the normal connections.
    • Some Internet access points (such as public Wi-Fi networks at some hotels or cafes) inject banner ads into all kinds of web pages including Wikipedia; using the secure server prevents this.
     
  14. MisterB

    MisterB Registered Member

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    It is correct. Ad blockers and script blockers also work with HTTPS. The browser establishes the HTTPS connection and browser plugins work the same since they have access to the browser's unencrypted data. What won't work are some router and firewall filters since they will only see the encrypted data. They can still do DNS blocking.
     
  15. Snoop3

    Snoop3 Registered Member

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    Thanks. i think it was AdMuncher and they were talking about having to be in the browser or something to block ads in HTTPS or SSL(?) if theres a difference. i guess i must have misunderstood and this stuffs over my head anyway :(
     
  16. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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  17. xxJackxx

    xxJackxx Registered Member

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    Correct, all a HOSTS file or DNS lookup does is associate a hostname with an IP address, be it HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, etc.
     
  18. bjm_

    bjm_ Registered Member

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  19. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

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