Closed Lock

A closed padlock icon may be used to symbolise that content is ‘locked’ and thus under a degree of protection. Often, a password is required to bypass this lock. In web browsers the padlock icon is used to indicate that a link is secure and that communications are encrypted between the browser and web server so that users can safely share their data. The use of padlocks as symbols of security is being phased out by browsers such as Google Chrome due to their misuse and lack of trust.