eCommerce Security

Research shows that privacy and security are two of the biggest concerns for Internet users.

 

Regardless of whether these fears are valid or not, as a merchant it's your job to make your visitors feel safe on your website.

If you're selling goods or collecting information from your visitors, you'll want to publish your Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions on your site.

 

What is a Privacy Policy?

 

A Privacy Policy is a disclaimer placed on a website informing users about how the website collects and stores a user's personal information.

 

A typical Privacy Policy contains information regarding the type of data collected and what security measures are in place to secure the data.

 

For example, if you have a secure certificate installed on your website you may state that all information collected is protected by secure encryption.

 

What are Terms & Conditions?

 

Terms and Conditions on your website specify:

 

• How visitors can use your website: For example, you may state that the user agrees not to copy any materials on the site.
  
  If your website is only suitable for adults you may state that users have to be 18 and over to use the site.
  
  
• Purchase Policies: You should clearly state any purchase policies, including warranties, shipping, refunds and returns.
  
  
• Anything else of significance including waiver of warranties, limited liability, indemnification, grounds for termination of service, etc.

 

Encryption and Secure Certificates

 

While online you may have come across references to 'SSL Encryption' or '128 bit Encryption'.

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is a system for securing and transferring private information over the Internet.

 

While surfing the web, 99% of the time you have no need for SSL protection. However, the moment you need to submit private and sensitive data (such as your credit card details) you want to make sure the data is protected.

 

SSL works by encrypting your data and transferring it over a secure connection. 128 bit is the industry standard and refers to the level of protection a website offers.

 

You can tell if you are using a secure connection when you see the little padlock icon in the bottom right hand corner of your browser (Internet Explorer and Firefox users). Netscape users will see a similar padlock or a blue key graphic.

The other thing you'll notice is the address within your browser will change from http:// to https:// to indicate that you are viewing a secure area of a website.

 

To enable a secure connection on your website you need to purchase and install a 'secure certificate'.

 

A secure certificate is basically a set of instructions that encrypts sensitive information (like credit card numbers) while they are being processed. This prevents third parties from hijacking sensitive information and using them for fraudulent purposes.

 

Upon issuing of your secure certificate you will be able to place a secure seal logo on your site.