Humans can't read URLs. How can we fix it? - HTTP 203

Chrome for Developers · 59.2K views · 2020-01-28 · 20:21

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Overview

Jake Archibald argues that URLs are nearly impossible for humans to interpret, especially for security. He walks through what browsers do about it, including highlighting the registrable domain, and floats a possible better design.

On Hacker News

Referenced in debates over Chrome hiding URLs as a compelling case for why full URLs are hard even for experts.

Recommended by 3 HN people across 2 months · HN mentions 2020–2023

Topics

Web development Security & hacking UX & UI design

What people said

davidmurdoch · 2020-08 · Recommendation
Jake Archibald (a Googler) presents some decent points on this on the HTTP 203 podcast: [VIDEO] I still don't agree with the removal of URLs, but I do still recommend watching the entire video if you want to get more perspective on the issue (beyond just the conspiracy theories about AMP and control).
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Orochikaku · 2020-06 · Recommendation
A couple of Google Chrome devs talk about the issues surrounding the readability of urls and their security implications and possible solutions in an episode of their podcast[0]. I think they make a compelling argument for hiding most of the url in part to prevent phishing however I do think they should allow this behaviour to be toggled via a flag. [0] [VIDEO]
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AshleysBrain · 2020-06 · Recommendation
Reading URLs is actually really hard - even for experts. This video covers the problems well: [VIDEO] This is bad for web security, since the registerable domain is the part you have to trust, but it's surprisingly difficult to figure out that part. However I feel a bit uneasy about this since URLs are important and tell you where you are on a website. I prefer Firefox's approach which emphasises the registerable domain in the URL bar and fades out the rest of it, making it easier to spot the important bit. However it's still quite subtle - it could do with being a clearer distinction.
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Sources

Video by Chrome for Developers, played through YouTube.

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