#2950 #2950You might also be interested in the following, by Harley Hahn, one of the world's leading Internet authorities, (www.harley.com) quoted with permission from Harley Hahn Teaches the Internet published by QUE, Indianapolis:
Your personal information is secure as long as no one intercepts it along the way. In theory, a gang of bad guys with sophisticated equipment, exceptional skills, a lot of time, and enormous motivation might find a way to intercept your data as it travels from your computer to the remote Web site. These guys could make a copy of all your data and then analyze it so as to extract your credit card number, which they would then use for nefarious purposes. However, the chances of all this happening are about the same as you being hit by a meteor right now as you read this. In other words, don't worry - the Internet is secure.
Consider the following analogy. Suppose the Acme Internet Shopping Company takes orders over the phone, and instead of using their Web site, you decide to call them to place an order. Is that really safe? After all, someone could be tapping your phone illegally, listening day and night on the off-chance that, eventually, he might overhear some valuable information. Since such a scenario is technically possible, shouldn't you be afraid to say your credit card number out loud over the telephone?
Of course not. Although it is possible for someone to tap your phone line, it's not likely to happen, so you don't worry about it. I can tell you it's a lot harder to intercept data on the Internet than to tap a phone line, and no one is going to do either one just to steal your credit card number. People who steal such numbers have ways to get them that are far easier and much less risky.