Many times a person encounters issues while trying to visit a website on the browser. One of the most common issues is the error message on the screen – “Your Connection is Not Private.” Many Google Chrome users and other web browser users face this widespread issue.
This privacy error is often a security issue at the end of the website that is being visited, or the culprit can be at the end of the user. One can fix this issue without much hassle.
First of all, let us understand the meaning of this privacy error on Google Chrome.
Meaning Of The Privacy Error
When this message that “Your Connection is Not Private” flashes on the screen, it merely means that Google Chrome or another web browser prevents the user from visiting an unreliable site website. What makes a website unpredictable? A valid SSL certificate enables a website to run on HTTPS, the secure HTTP version. Without this certificate, the website becomes unreliable and is often not accessible due to such privacy issues.
Fixing the Google Chrome privacy error issue
Websites with problematic SSL certification connections are not reliable and are prone to security issues like data theft. But sometimes, the problem isn’t the website’s SSL certificate alone. The problem can also be caused at the users’ end, such as the operating system, the Wi-Fi network, or their browser. Often, a person can encounter privacy issues while using public Wi-Fi, using antivirus software that doesn’t scan the SSL certification, or even having an incorrect date and time on the computer.
The error message “Your connection is not private” often appears when the browser encounters a problem while creating an SSL connection or can’t verify the certificate.
An error message similar to ‘The connection is not private” can be found in the following manner on other browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Safari.
Here are a few ways that are simple enough to fix the Google Chrome privacy error issue.
- Reloading the Page –It is one of the primary and easiest methods to reload the page and works most of the time. There are chances of the SSL certificate either being reissued or the browser failing to connect with the server.
- Clearing the Browsing Data –Another simple method is to clear the data stored in the browser, such as deleting images, files, cookies, or cache.
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi –Using a public network at an airport or a café is one of the most obvious reasons to get this privacy error. Public networks usually do not run on HTTPS but instead, run on HTTP. As HTTPS is a must for any website for collecting private information, this causes an error in accessing site any website. Also, one must be alert while performing any transactions through a public network as the input data is not encrypted and is shown as plain text. Anyone using the same Wi-Fi network can easily steal the information if they know what the user is doing. This is why the browser automatically flashes the message “Your connection is not private” as a warning. One can try loading the website with more private network connections like mobile data or home Wi-Fi.
- Using Incognito Mode –The Incognito mode doesn’t store any of the computer’s data. If the user doesn’t want to remove the browser’s stored cache and cookies or any other data, they can check whether these stored cache and cookies are creating an issue even in Chrome’s Incognito Mode. To use the Incognito mode on Chrome, one needs to click the three dots in the top right corner and then select the New Incognito Window Tab. Revisit the site which was being accessed to check if the error persists even in the Incognito Mode.
- Checking the Computer’s Date and Time –Many times, the privacy error may occur if the operating system’s date and time are not set correctly. The browser depends on the computer’s date and time settings for checking an SSL certificate’s validity. If the date and time of the operating system are incorrect, this may cause some issues in the validation process. The certificate can appear to be no longer valid while it may still be. Thus, fixing does adjusting the date and time of the system we fix the problem, especially on Windows or Mac.
- Checking the Antivirus or Internet Security Suite –Some antivirus software and web security programs block unusual SSL certifications or connections. To fix the privacy error issue, one needs to turn off the SSL scanning feature or try to disable the antivirus software entirely and then reopen the site on the browser.
- Temporarily Disabling the VPN –A VPN (Virtual Private Network) sometimes encrypts and re-routes the internet connection using a remote server. This hides the IP address and increases the web anonymity the user also blocking some SSL certificates through added security layers, causing the privacy error issue. Temporarily disabling the VPN may remove some added layers of security or barriers between the connection and the website is accessed. The user will be able to know whether the VPN is causing the error.
- Try to access the website through a Proxy –Here, a proxy means “another network” and works similarly like a VPN re-routing the Internet connection of the user via a remote server. The only difference is that a proxy does not encrypt the connection, and one can set it up on an application-by-application basis. It may so happen that the error message may be appearing only on the screen of a particular user, whereas other people may be able to access the site without any issues. In such cases, try using the neighbor’s Wi-Fi as a proxy to check if the website is accessible or not.
- Restarting the Router –While using the Wi-Fi at home, restarting the router is another easy fix for connection and privacy issues. A Wi-Fi router has its memory, CPU, and operating system, and just like any other computer, it sometimes overheats or experiences bugs. Restarting the router is a quick, easy way to refresh it. While continuing the router, it is advisable to have a break of 10 seconds before turning it on again. There is a capacitor in the router that keeps running for a few seconds even when it is turned off. The break of short interval fill ensures the capacitor will be empty and will enable the router to fully clear its memory and reset the failed tasks once it’s turned on.
- Manually Proceeding With an Unsafe Connection – (Unsafe) –If all the methods of fixing the privacy error fail, then in such a case, one can still visit the website at their own risk. Remember, such websites are highly vulnerable to attackers. Sensitive information can be hacked, including the user’s full name, address, passwords, credit or debit card numbers, and so on. One should be alert while browsing such a site at their risk to avoid any online payment transactions that give away any sensitive information.
- Ignoring the SSL Certificate Error Entirely – (Unsafe) –If the user chooses to proceed with an unsafe connection manually, then it will resolve the issue of privacy temporarily. If the user doesn’t want to be bothered with such messages in the future, then they need to ignore the SSL certificate error altogether on the web browser. Using this method is like putting a warning on the silent mode. The privacy connection issue will remain and prevent the user from accessing unsafe sites.
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