In today’s internet, users are accustomed to seeing the green padlock next to a website address and the letters https. For many, this symbol signals a safe resource where data is transmitted securely. However, an important question remains: can free SSL certificates — used by thousands of websites — be fully trusted? To answer this, it’s essential to understand how SSL works, how free certificates differ from paid ones, and what risks actually matter for businesses and users.
The emergence of Let’s Encrypt became one of the most important milestones in the history of internet security. Until 2015, obtaining an SSL or TLS certificate was a complex, expensive, and time-consuming process. Many website owners postponed switching to HTTPS because they had to navigate bureaucratic procedures, wait for certificate approval, and manually configure their servers. This created a paradox: the technology for protecting data existed, but access to it remained limited. Let’s Encrypt made security widespread, affordable, and automated — transforming not only the approach to encryption but also the architecture of the internet as a whole.