Just so I don’t forget how I do this:

protected void Application_Start()
{
#if !DEBUG
    EncryptConnectionStrings();
#endif
}

private void EncryptConnectionStrings()
{
    var sectionName = "connectionStrings";
    var config = WebConfigurationManager.OpenWebConfiguration("~");

    ConfigurationSection section = config.GetSection(sectionName);

    if (section != null && !section.SectionInformation.IsProtected)
    {
        section.SectionInformation.ProtectSection("DataProtectionConfigurationProvider");
        config.Save();
    }
}
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