Mozilla, Cisco, Akama, EEF, IdenTrust and the University of Michigan team up with the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG) to encourage all to shift from HTTP to HTTPS through a movement dubbed Let's Encrypt.
The ISRG admits getting basic server certificates is a hassle for many server operators, especially smaller ones, as the application process is confusing and, in the end of the day, it costs money. Let's Encrypt promises to change the situation through a simple one-click process one can run during the server's native installation or configuration process. Oh, and it costs as much as free.
HTTPS is not perfect, the EFF says, but it is still an improvement over the widely used HTTP protocol.
The Let's Encrypt software is also open source, and the venture is based around transparency and cooperation as well as modern security techniques.
The infrastructure behind Let's Encrypt should be available for all domain holders from Q2 2015.