The difference between http and https, and why you should use https.

When you are browsing on the internet, the site’s domain address that you are visiting should show up in the browser’s address bar.  This will look slightly different, depending on the particular browser that you are using. 

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 Mozilla Firefox Unified Search/Address Bar

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Google Chrome Address Bar

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Http (HyperText Transfer Protocol) was originally designed for the web browsing in the earlier days of the internet.   Unfortunately, no security was built into this protocol and it was considered an insecure form of communication.   Https (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) was developed to provide a secure method of transmission, by encrypting the data between the user’s web browser and a web server that they were connected to.  Financial institutions and online purchasing sites were originally the common sites using the https protocol. 

As the internet has evolved over the years, security has become more of an issue.  Now, most sites (mine included) are switching from http to https.  This provides better protection from the standpoint of security, and the http protocol will eventually be phased out. 
       
If you are using Firefox, Chrome or Opera browsers, an extension called HTTPS Everywhere should be installed to provide an added level of security.