Google is considering giving a boost to encypted websites in its search engine ranking results, according to one of its top engineers.
The search engine’s web spam head Matt Cutts said that by doing so Google would make it harder for third parties to spy on Internet users, while encouraging more sites to implement a standard of encryption.
The search engine currently uses an encryption method for its other services including Google Maps and Gmail.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google considers over 200 factors to rank websites on its search engine, with links being one of them.
The addition of encryption to ranking factors would notify that the sites are safe to browse and trust, while also boosting web security.
Google started encrypting traffic between its data centres last year in the wake of disclosures that the NSA was taking advantage of vulnerabilities in its infrastructure.
