Google is not the only company pushing for these changes, every mainstream browser is trying to increase HTTPS adoption. And you shouldn't be waiting for them to do so, you should already be running the HTTPS everywhere addon[0] in your browser today.
The overwhelming consensus in the security industry is that end-to-end encryption increases security and privacy. Overwhelmingly, security professionals recommend using HTTPS.
Of course it's tied to user privacy, there are multiple examples of not just malware authors but also corporations like Verizon, public wifi administrators for large establishments, doing sniffing and MITM attacks on non-HTTPS traffic. It's absurd that E2E encryption in the browser has to be defended to people, it is absolutely a privacy and security issue.
I dislike Google's privacy stances too; I'm regularly on the Google hate train. But if you're leaving your Internet traffic unencrypted just because Google is one of the companies telling you to encrypt, then you are pointlessly cutting off your nose to spite your face.
The overwhelming consensus in the security industry is that end-to-end encryption increases security and privacy. Overwhelmingly, security professionals recommend using HTTPS.
Of course it's tied to user privacy, there are multiple examples of not just malware authors but also corporations like Verizon, public wifi administrators for large establishments, doing sniffing and MITM attacks on non-HTTPS traffic. It's absurd that E2E encryption in the browser has to be defended to people, it is absolutely a privacy and security issue.
I dislike Google's privacy stances too; I'm regularly on the Google hate train. But if you're leaving your Internet traffic unencrypted just because Google is one of the companies telling you to encrypt, then you are pointlessly cutting off your nose to spite your face.
[0]: https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere