The measure is particulary designed to defend those who access Twitter via unsecured public Wi-Fi networks, which can make it easy for hackers to steal their passwords.
If activated, the new option in users' account settings means that whenever a they log on, their browser will connect to Twitter's servers via http, an encrypted version of the basic web protocol. Virtually anyone trying to spy on the traffic will see only packets of completely unintelligible data.
"This will improve the security of your account and better protect your information if you’re using Twitter over an unsecured Internet connection, like a public WiFi network, where someone may be able to eavesdrop on your site activity," said Twitter spokeswoman Carolyn Penner.
"In the future, we hope to make http the default setting," she added.
Twitter already offered a http service, but it was not offered as a simple option in user account settings. Rather, those who wanted to encrypt their connection were required to type "http" in their browser address bar.
