# Mystery Privacy Issues **URL:** \ **Category:** Lounge\ **Created:** [October 5, 2021, 6:32am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898 "2021-10-05T06:32:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Butternut](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/butternut/32/3946_2.png) [@Butternut](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/Butternut)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 6:32am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898/1 "2021-10-05T06:32:22Z")
So it started about 4 days ago in Brave, my browser of choice. Many, many websites (including this one) are unavailable, displaying an error message of “your connection is not private”. I would say that a good 40% to 50% of the websites that I attempt to access exhibit this problem. I can sometimes circumvent the issue by clicking on “Advanced”, and linking to the site that is deemed “unsafe”. Other times, it is not possible due to something called HSTS. Some of the sites not accessible on Brave can be opened in Opera. Others cannot. Even more of the sites not accessible on Brave can be opened in Firefox. But not necessarily the same ones as in Opera. Suspecting perhaps some bad juju on my system, I ran Malwarebytes. But my computer appears to be clean. Wondering if this is happening to anyone else, and wondering what all this means. Can everyone’s certificate expire at the very same time? It is incredibly time-wasting and frustrating. ![Screen Shot 2021-10-04 at 11.17.12 PM](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/uploads/realmacsoftware1/original/3X/6/d/6daa5c3107be60dfe587dad6d093196edc27717a.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![instacks](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/instacks/32/23339_2.png) [@instacks](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/instacks)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 7:27am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898/2 "2021-10-05T07:27:17Z")
Possible because of let’s encrypt certificates have expired for some certain websites? ---
**Author:** ![Butternut](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/butternut/32/3946_2.png) [@Butternut](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/Butternut)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 7:45am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898/3 "2021-10-05T07:45:15Z")
Yes, of course, it’s certainly possible. But so many? We’re talking close to 50% of the websites I try to access. This site, as I mentioned. Multiple others. Even the Brave support site (!) Why would the browser let its very own certificate lapse? I am simply gobsmacked, as the British say. ![Screen Shot 2021-10-05 at 12.41.45 AM](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/uploads/realmacsoftware1/original/3X/c/4/c492f1ebafc1107d0a6962b059cec83dfcf26b37.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![instacks](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/instacks/32/23339_2.png) [@instacks](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/instacks)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 7:56am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898/4 "2021-10-05T07:56:44Z")
> **[Let's Encrypt's root certificate has expired, and it might break your devices...](https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/21/lets-encrypt-root-expiry/)** > > Older devices and browsers could run into trouble after September 30. ---
**Author:** ![Mathew](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/mathew/32/2771_2.png) [@Mathew](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/Mathew)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 8:01am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898/5 "2021-10-05T08:01:51Z")
I haven’t run into this problem on Safari. But just as a wild guess … a lot of big sites (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) went down for some period of time over the past 24 hours. It may all be related to that. ---
**Author:** ![Butternut](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/butternut/32/3946_2.png) [@Butternut](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/Butternut)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 8:19am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898/6 "2021-10-05T08:19:43Z")
That’s gotta be it. I think you nailed it. My browsers are all up to date, but the OS (for reasons of Photoshop) is decidedly old. And the problem started on the 1st, right after the Let’s Encrypt expiry date. Oh dear. Before capitulating to Adobe subscription extortion, waiting (it seems forever) for Apple to produce a new and improved and hopefully larger iMac. Is there anything you suggest I can do in the meantime? ---
**Author:** ![Butternut](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/butternut/32/3946_2.png) [@Butternut](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/Butternut)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898/7 "2021-10-07T01:55:52Z")
More information about this dastardly turn of events: [https://www.macintouch.com/post/18319/apple-security-certificate-issue/](https://www.macintouch.com/post/18319/apple-security-certificate-issue/) And Jannis, @instacks, I forgot to thank you for your sleuthing. So thank you. ---
**Author:** ![wirrah](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/wirrah/32/22867_2.png) [@wirrah](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/wirrah)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 4:11am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898/8 "2021-10-07T04:11:34Z")
> **[Let's Encrypt DST Root CA X3 expiry Sept 30th 2021 | Certify The Web Docs](https://docs.certifytheweb.com/docs/kb/kb-202109-letsencrypt/)** > > Certificate trust mainly relies on the "root" issuing certificate (and intermediate certificates) being trusted by your computer. Got my El Capitan machine working again. It had no access to this forum until the certificate was installed. No issues on Big Sur. ---
**Author:** ![Butternut](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/butternut/32/3946_2.png) [@Butternut](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/Butternut)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 4:31am UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/mystery-privacy-issues/40898/9 "2021-10-07T04:31:46Z")
Yes, that worked. Hallelujah.