In a move that marks the execution if Facebook's January 2011-announced plan to provide the option of encrypting all Facebook accounts at all times, the social network has recently revealed that it is shifting all its users to HTTPS connections so that attacks over Wi-Fi networks can be blocked.

A much more secure version of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol - the mechanism which browsers use for connecting with websites -, the HTTPS adds a layer of encryption to data transfer, though at the cost of a little speed.

The addition of the HTTPS connection was introduced as an option by Facebook last year, but the protocol was not supported by most of the third-party apps at that time. Nonetheless, Facebook has ever since required all apps to support HTTPS; and the added security measure is now being rolled out to all Facebook users.

Drawing attention to the fact that Facebook users will have to sacrifice some sped for added security because encryption adds load time to Web pages, a TechCrunch report has revealed that the HTTPS connection will be an `opt-out' option for the social network's users.

About the advantages of HTTPS, Facebook had told the app developers in a last-year statement that the company feels that "HTTPS is an essential option to protect the security of Facebook accounts, and since Apps on Facebook are an important part of the site, support for HTTPS in your app is critical to ensure user security."