privacy policy

SSL Shopper Security

Your security is assured!

Credit card security is one of our top priorities, and that is why we guarantee 100% secure ordering for all of our visitors. To protect you and your credit card information, we use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology, which is the industry standard and among the best software available today for secure commerce transactions. A complete primer on SSL is provided below for your convenience.

An SSL Primer

To protect your information and the integrity of ours, we use an industry-standard protocol called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Use of this technology encrypts any and all sensitive information communicated between you and our web site.

When Netscape introduced SSL (secure-sockets layer) in 1995, it paved the way for online information security. SSL is essentially an encryption technology that scrambles a message so that only the intended recipient can read it. Web addresses that begin with "https://" are using SSL to protect information (think of the "s" as meaning "secure"). To anyone without the "key", any intercepted information would only read as useless gibberish.

To get SSL working, you need a digital ID (also known as an authentication certificate) from a trusted third-party source. This certificate is like an online passport or driver's license. It's essentially a form of identification that confirms that you are who you say you are, and that we are who we say we are.

Encryption is essentially a secret code that prevents others from reading your messages. The elements of an encryption system are the plaintext, the cryptographic algorithm, the key, and the ciphertext. The plaintext is the actual message or data that is to be encrypted. The cryptographic algorithm is a mathematical set of rules that defines how the plaintext is to be combined with a key. The key is a string of digits, and the ciphertext is the resulting encrypted message.

These terms are probably best illustrated with a very simple example. If you take the phrase "Computer" and add 2 characters to each letter, the phrase becomes "Frpxwhu".

In this situation

- "Computer" is the plaintext
- "Add 3 characters to each letter" is the cryptographic algorithm
- "3" is the key
- "Frpxwhu" is the ciphertext.

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Here in detail are the steps taken during an SSL transaction

- You send our server a request for documents to be transmitted using the "https://" protocol.
- Our server sends its certificate to your computer.
- Your computer then checks to see if the certificate is verified by a trusted source.
- Your computer compares the information in the certificate with the information it received (the domain - name and key). If this information is a match, your computer accepts our site as authenticated.
- Your computer tells our server what ciphers (encryption algorithms) it can communicate with.
- Our server chooses the strongest common cipher and informs your computer of its choice.
- Your computer generates a key using the agreed upon cipher.
- Your computer then encrypts the key and sends it back to our server.
- Our server receives the encrypted key and decrypts it.
- Your computer and our server then use the key for the life of the transaction.
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As you can probably tell from the above example, securing information through SSL takes time. Therefore, you may notice that pages don't load as quickly as they would without the security. But in the interest of safety, this delay is worth the few extra seconds.

For your safety and convenience, we only operate over a secure connection from the time you want to "check out" to the time your order is confirmed.

SSL does come with a catch. Even though our web server fully supports SSL, it will only work with SSL-friendly browsers. While most browsers support SSL, some archaic versions do not. If you receive an error when trying to access the secure portion of our site, please contact us for information on how to best place a safe order.

Privacy Statement

We respect your privacy!

We understand the importance of privacy and security with regard to shopping online. As such, we respect your right to privacy. All detailed client information is held in confidence, and is never sold, transferred, shared or solicited to other parties. Please note the following:

Asking for your information

On occasion, we may ask our customers for personal information, such as your name, address, company name, e-mail address and other details. Providing us with your information simply helps us to better serve our clientele and process orders more efficiently. In the event we ask you to share other personal information with us over the Internet, we will always inform you as to how we will use the information.

Personal Information Privacy

We will take all necessary steps to keep your personal information confidential. Those steps include limiting access to informational databases, encrypting sensitive information and securing our data with appropriate passwords and user permissions.

We will never sell, rent, or share any customer information with other companies for any reason.

We will communicate with clients via e-mail or other online delivery devices only if the client agrees to receive those communications. If you believe that you are receiving our communications in error, or no longer desire to receive them, please inform us, and we will remove your name from our distribution lists.

Order Information Privacy and Security

We use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to safeguard your information, including your credit card information, during all phases of online transactions. None of the people who have made purchases through our web site have reported fraudulent use of their credit card as a result of a previous online order. If you are not comfortable sending your credit card information online, please choose to have a sales representative call you to complete the order, or give us a call and speak with one of our friendly sales representatives.

NEVER include your credit card number or other sensitive information in unencrypted e-mail. In the extremely unlikely event that we ever do suspect a client's credit card number has been intercepted, we will immediately notify the client.

If you have any questions, please email us for assistance.

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