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Securing
Your Website
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:
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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.
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Purchase Policies:
You should clearly state any purchase policies, including warranties,
shipping, refunds and returns.
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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.
Important Note:
If you are using a third party payment processor like PayPal, you won't need
your own secure certificate.
When a visitor to your
website makes a purchase, they will be temporarily transferred to PayPal's
website (which has its own secure certificate) to process their credit card
details.
Once the payment has been
processed they will be transferred back to your website.
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