Users of Twitter can now opt-in for always on HTTPS service as the users of Facebook.

The Secure Socket Layer service (SSL) will now protect the users of Twitter specifically those ones who access the services of Twitter over unsecured wireless networks like the ones on the airports, cafes, hotels, etc.

Carolyn Penner of Twitter said in a blog (http://blog.twitter.com/2011/03/making-twitter-more-secure-https.html) that provision of the opt-in facility for HTTPS will help improve security of the user accounts and enable protection of information they are using in twitter especially over unsecured internet connections like a public WIFI network where eaves dropping is a common scenario.

One area where the HTTPS is still not enforced is when the users access the services offered by Twitter through mobile browsers. As a workaround though, user base of Twitter are asked to use the services through the URL https://mobile.twitter.com until further advised.

Twitter is aiming to make the HTTPS based service the default service as time passes. Penner also advised that Twitter was working on a homogenous solution that will be used to share the "Always use HTTPS" option across both mobile.twitter.com and twitter.com.

This will enable users to just use the service without thinking which service to go for. Users need to be aware of the fact that if they want to use the applications, they need to check manually if that particular application does support HTTPS or not. This wouldn’t fall under the purview of Twitter but the vendors or the publishers of those applications would be responsible for enforcing such restrictions.