title: What does the Python InsecureRequestWarning really mean?
body: <p>I'm getting the warning:</p>
  
  <pre><code>/.../local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests/packages/urllib3/connectionpool.py:734: InsecureRequestWarning: Unverified HTTPS request is being made. Adding certificate verification is strongly advised. See: https://urllib3.readthedocs.org/en/latest/security.html
    InsecureRequestWarning)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I'm reading <a href="https://urllib3.readthedocs.org/en/latest/security.html" rel="noreferrer">the doc</a>.</p>
  
  <p>I'm seeing lots of posts on how to disable it if I know what I'm doing, like <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/27981545/surpress-insecurerequestwarning-unverified-https-request-is-being-made-in-pytho">this one</a>.</p>
  
  <p>But I'm still having trouble figuring out what the error means. I gather that it means that I'm missing a certificate (because it only happens on my VPS, not on my Mac running the same version of a script), but <strong>I don't understand why I need a certificate to make a secure request to a third-party API</strong>.</p>
  
  <p>A helpful summary (or just a point in the right direction) would be much appreciated so I can decide whether or not to disable it. My gut is that I shouldn't disable it, so I'd like to figure out how to address the problem properly.</p>