Internet application developers are increasingly using encryption to protect subscribers’ content from intrusions. Broadband market research specialist Sandvine finds that “while there has been a lot of talk on how information on the Internet can be hidden or guarded, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding on the topic,” however. Sandvine zooms in on the topic of encrypted Internet traffic in its latest Global Internet Phenomena Spotlight.
Internet Encryption Trends
Examining “data collected for a live, representative network in North America to explain the current state of traffic encryption” Sandvine highlights the following key takeaways:
- Netflix’s recent decision to encrypt their traffic will result in over two-thirds of North American Internet traffic being encrypted in 2016;
- YouTube is the largest source of encrypted traffic in North America, and still a significant contributor of unencrypted traffic;
- Google Play traffic is encrypted, preventing the ability for third-parties to identify the apps, movies, and music being consumed by subscribers. Apple’s iTunes traffic remains unencrypted;
- The simplicity of the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s “Let’s Encrypt” program, due to launch in mid-2015, will help drive encryption adoption among smaller sites.
More information from Sandvine’s latest Global Internet Phenomena Spotlight is available on the Encryption Trends page on Sandvine’s website.
