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Firefox uses a padlock icon next to a website's URL to let you know your connection is encrypted. Click on the icon for more information.

<!-- The changes to this feature are significant enough that it was easier to re-write the article in a new section for Firefox 14 and above. That section is below the old version which is now for Firefox 13 and below. --> The Site Identity Button is a Firefox security feature that gives you more information about the sites you visit. You can quickly find out if the website you are viewing is encrypted, if it is verified, who owns the website, and who verified it. This should help you avoid malicious websites that are trying to obtain your personal information. The Site Identity Button is in the Location bar to the left of the web address. {for not fx29} {for win}[[Image:Site Identity Block 14 - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Site Identity Block - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Site Identity Block 14 - Lin]]{/for} {/for} {for fx29} {for win,mac}[[Image:site identity]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:site identity fx39 Linux en]]{/for} {/for} When viewing a website, the Site Identity Button will be one of five icons - a gray globe, a gray warning triangle, an orange warning triangle, a gray padlock, or a green padlock. Clicking on these icons will display identity and security information about the website. [[Image:identity icons toc order]] <!-- Sept 2014 by Artist: the new image shows the icons in the same order as TOC and as described in the paragraph above --> Clicking on the {button More Information} button on the pop-up panel will show more details about the privacy and security settings of that site, such as certificate information, cookies and your saved password history. __TOC__ = Gray globe = A gray globe indicates: *The website does not supply identity information. *The connection between Firefox and the website is not encrypted {for not fx26}or only partially encrypted{/for} and should not be considered safe against eavesdropping. {for not fx29} {for win}[[Image:YouTube - Gray globe - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:YouTube - Gray globe - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:YouTube - Gray globe - Lin]]{/for} {/for} {for fx29} {for win,mac}[[Image:grey globe fx29]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:grey globe fx39 Linux en]]{/for} {/for} Most websites will have the gray globe, because they don't involve passing sensitive information back and forth and do not need to have verified identities or encrypted connections. {for not fx26}It applies to websites served over HTTP (not encrypted) or HTTPS (partially encrypted).{/for} {note}'''Note:''' If you are sending any sort of sensitive information (bank information, credit card data, Social Security Numbers, etc.) the Site Identity Button should '''not''' be a gray globe icon.{/note} = Gray warning triangle = A gray warning triangle indicates: *The website does not supply identity information. *The connection between Firefox and the website is only partially encrypted, doesn't prevent eavesdropping and is not fully secure because it contains unencrypted elements (such as images, video or audio). Other people can view or modify these elements, but not the main webpage content (such as text). {for fx29} {for win,mac}[[Image:grey triangle]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:grey triangle fx39 Linux en]]{/for} {/for} = Orange warning triangle = An orange warning triangle indicates: *The website does not supply identity information. *The connection between Firefox and the website is only partially encrypted and doesn't prevent eavesdropping. The website contains interactive content that isn't encrypted (such as scripts). Other people can view your information or modify the website's behavior. {for not fx29} [[Image:itunes - Orange warning triangle - Win]] {/for} {for fx29} {for win,mac}[[Image:orange triangle fx29]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:orange triangle fx39 Linux en]]{/for} {/for} It implies that you've previously allowed the mixed active content served over HTTPS to be loaded, displayed or executed for the website despite the [[How does content that isn't secure affect my safety?#w_what-are-the-risks|risks]]. {for not fx24}Reloading the website{/for}{for fx24}Going to another website in the current tab and then going back or re-visiting the website in a new tab{/for} will block back certain HTTP requests to lower threats, change the icon to its previous state ({for not fx26}gray globe{/for}{for fx26}gray warning triangle{/for} for mixed passive content and gray or green padlock otherwise) and display the content mixer shield icon. For information about the mixed content block, see [[How does content that isn't secure affect my safety?]]. {note}'''Note:''' If you are sending any sort of sensitive information (bank information, credit card data, Social Security Numbers, etc.) the Site Identity Button should '''not''' be an orange warning triangle icon.{/note} = Gray padlock = A gray padlock indicates: *The website's address has been verified. *The connection between Firefox and the website is encrypted to prevent eavesdropping. {for not fx29} {for win}[[Image:Facebook - Gray padlock - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Facebook - Gray padlock - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Facebook - Gray padlock - Lin]]{/for} {/for} {for fx29} {for win,mac}[[Image:grey lock fx29]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:grey lock fx39 Linux en]]{/for} {/for} When a domain has been verified, it means that the people who are running the site have bought a certificate proving that the domain is not being spoofed. For example, {for win,mac}Facebook{/for}{for linux}Wikimedia Foundation{/for} has this sort of certificate and an encrypted connection, so the Site Identity Button displays a gray padlock. When you click on the padlock, it tells you that you are actually connected to {for win,mac}facebook<!-- -->.com{/for}{for linux}wikipedia<!-- -->.org{/for} as certified by {for win,mac}VeriSign Inc.{/for}{for linux}GlobalSign nv-sa.{/for} It also assures you that the connection is encrypted so no one can eavesdrop on the connection and steal your {for win,mac}Facebook{/for}{for linux}Wikipedia{/for} login information that way. However, it is not verified who actually owns the domain in question. There is no guarantee that {for win,mac}facebook<!-- -->.com{/for}{for linux}wikipedia<!-- -->.org{/for} is actually owned by {for win,mac}Facebook the company{/for}{for linux}Wikimedia Foundation{/for}. The only things that are guaranteed is that the domain is a valid domain, and that the connection to it is encrypted. = Green padlock = A green padlock indicates: *The website's address has been verified using an Extended Validation (EV) certificate. *The connection between Firefox and the website is encrypted to prevent eavesdropping. {for not fx29} {for win}[[Image:PayPal - Green padlock - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:PayPal - Green padlock - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:PayPal - Green padlock - Lin]]{/for} {/for} {for fx29} {for win,mac}[[Image:green lock fx29]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:green lock fx39 Linux en]]{/for} {/for} A green padlock plus the name of the company or organization in green means this website is using an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Validation_Certificate Extended Validation (EV) certificate]. An EV certificate is a special type of site certificate that requires a significantly more rigorous identity verification process than other types of certificates. While the gray padlock indicates that a site uses a secure connection, the green padlock indicates that the connection is secure ''and'' that the owners of the domain are who you would expect them to be. With the EV certificate, the Site Identity Button assures you that {for win,mac}paypal<!-- -->.com{/for}{for linux}mozilla<!-- -->.org{/for} is owned by {for win,mac}Paypal Inc.{/for}{for linux}Mozilla Foundation{/for}, for example. Not only does the padlock turn green on the {for win,mac}Paypal site{/for}{for linux}Mozilla official website{/for}, it also expands and displays the name of the owner in the button itself.