Bewildering Stories Editorial

Site Security

by Don Webb

Eagle-eyed veteran readers of Bewildering Stories have surely noticed that the alert link explaining the website’s security disappeared from the top of the home page as of issue 1084. Here’s the story.

The alert note explained why readers needn’t be alarmed by “Not secure” in their browser’s URL locator bar and the absence of the prefix “https.” As they surely knew anyway, BwS is not a commercial website; it makes no provision for the on-line transfer of money or private personal information. Bewildering Stories is a public library, and everyone is welcome, free of charge.

A regular contributor reported that a contact of his had told him her mobile app or Net browser did not allow her to connect to websites lacking “https.” Granted, that’s strong-arm protection for chronic on-line shoppers. Meanwhile, e-mail came to BwS; it advertised security certificates for sale at $150 and up. The mail’s origin raised questions, and the certificates were taken for granted a bit too conveniently; if one were purchased, how could it be applied?

A chat-line communication with our webhost proved fruitful. Security code has been added to BwS at a base price of $25 a year, which seems reasonable. Commercial security costs at least three times as much, which seems understandable. Redirection code was also easily added for a small fee; it enables Net browsers and mobile apps to access BwS whether the user’s bookmark uses “https” or “http” or no prefix at all.

We would like to hope that everyone could continue to enjoy Bewildering Stories as though nothing had happened. However, some apps, particularly mobile ones, are fiendishly designed to thwart the redirect code and restrict their users to commercial websites or, at least, to sites that can afford pure https even when it’s superfluous. Where will apps and browsers steer us or limit us next? We each need to know what ours will and won’t do; apparently, a clandestine battle is under way for control of the Internet.