In November 2014, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced the Let’s Encrypt initiative, designed to accelerate the transition from HTTP to a fully encrypted HTTPS environment.
Let’s Encrypt simplifies the previously complex and expensive process of obtaining and installing a Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate from a trusted authority to secure web traffic. TLS replaces the older Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, which is now deprecated.
On September 14, 2015, Let’s Encrypt issued its first certificate, marking a significant milestone for the project. Let’s Encrypt is now operated by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG), a nonprofit organization.
The initiative receives support from major sponsors, including:
- Mozilla
- Akamai
- Cisco
- EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
- IdenTrust
- Automattic
- Shopify
- American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom
