An internet user usually needs to establish a session in order to be able to share information with the webserver that hosts the website they are reaching. The browsing session regulates everything from what gets allowed to get shown on the web browser and what information will be encrypted while it is in motion and what information will be in plaintext format when getting uploaded to the webserver.
The web server will determine whether the session is going to be a secure or an unsecure one based on the sensitivity of the information being accessed. For publicly available information, the session does not have to be secure as the details coming to the browser are openly available to the rest of the web.
However, there are situations in which a browsing session has to be a secure one in order to ensure that no information gets leaked to the unwarranted parties that are not a part of the conversation. A secure browsing session will have all the information encrypted prior to moving to the web servers and this will tend to have a huge impact on the kind of information exchange that takes place during that session. The cookies and protocols that are used for secure browsing sessions are more secure and different from those used in unsecure browsing sessions.
Secure protocols are employed to ensure that the identity of the parties involved in the interchange is doubly confirmed and all the parties are aware of who they are exchanging information with. The HTTPS:// prefix to the address of the website that is being accessed usually indicates that the user is on a secure web session and all the information passing along the connection has been securely encrypted and out of reach by other parties. The security of the connection is also determined by the cookies that are on the browser as a secure connection will require an advanced form of cookies to ensure that the entire exchange of information gets monitored while it is in progress.
Any internet user that is on an unsecure browsing session will not have to exchange any information or let alone give out information that pertains to them to the web servers that are serving the web pages. For the most part, this transfer of information is totally anonymous and the internet user will not have to make themselves known to the web servers as the information being passed up and down between the browser and the server is general public information.
In conclusion, there is a clear difference between secure and insecure browsing sessions and it is important to know the difference whenever getting a connection to the internet and going to a website. A secure session is used for instances such as accessing email services or your banking website while the insecure sessions will be applied in the case of general information websites. However, the unsecure sessions are being replaced by secure protocols as the web evolves and keeps improving itself for better provision of services to its customers.
