This blog is now accessible via more secure https (TLS).

The default site address is now https://j12.org/blog/

Here are lines in .htaccess file for this j12.org website that mean http requests are redirected to use a https connection

RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule (.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI}

but before that had to ensure had a certificate set up as well as https itself for the j12.org domain. My website hosting provider site5 sorted this for me on request. It was really straight forward with them. But there was a little bit of messing around to get the pages that previously had been on sub domains redirected to directories of single j12.org domain as I had not wanted to pay extra for wild card certificate. It was much less hassle with this shared hosting than when I had to install a certificate myself on vserver I manage for a large website. But even that was all pretty much do able following instructions.

The trend for more and more websites to use https over http is good. Some only use it in addition and so require using HTTPS-everywhere plug-in with rule for website being visited to be sure to use https over http when visiting site.

I have set up a rule for area of EducationCity.com use by one of my family as did not come with http-everywhere default rule set.

similarly for:
energynetworks
mumsnet (although layout does not work well as hard-linked to non secure version so browser locks unless over-ride, I wish there was a way for my browser to remember over ride as have the main text forum content secure is better than whole page being insecure)

Other rules not in default rule-set were created by an additional plugin that works them out:

mygreenstarenergy
libcom
indymedia.org.uk

All modern browsers support https/TLS so I recommend websites use it as default themselves so no need for plugins like HTTPS-everywhere..

Many websites I use do use https, but many don’t. I intend to write to those that run them and ask them to set up https if have not already and set it use by default. See my previous blog post on Encryption.