Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

Secure Sockets Layer
     
         (SSL) A {protocol} designed by {Netscape
        Communications Corporation} to provide encrypted
        communications on the {Internet}.  SSL is layered beneath
        application {protocols} such as {HTTP}, {SMTP}, {Telnet},
        {FTP}, {Gopher}, and {NNTP} and is layered above the
        connection protocol {TCP/IP}.  It is used by the {HTTPS}
        access method.
     
        (1995-01-17)