- HTTPS is the 'Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure', which means that it is a variation on the HTTP protocol - except it uses a secure socket layer - (SSL) - an encryption protocol invoked by an HTTPS request, that enables authentication and encryption on the webpage being visited. SSL is + HTTPS is the 'Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure', which means that it is a variation on the HTTP protocol - except it uses transport layer security + (TLS) - an encryption protocol invoked by an HTTPS request, that enables authentication and encryption on the webpage being visited. SSL is essentially the usage of ‘digital passports’, and it functions by ‘hopping onto’ TCP protocols. It does not resend ‘lost’ packets or ‘miscommunicated' data, because this increases security.