What Does it Mean when a Website Promises Client Confidentiality?

When you give your business to websites, you want to know that your personal information will not be shared with the whole world. There are two kinds of information that most people especially do not want to be spread around: the nature of their business and their payment information.

The former is important particularly when the nature of the business is personal, such as a lingerie site or an academic writing site. Clients want to know that no one will be aware that they have patronized certain businesses. And so, when such businesses promise confidentiality, that means – it should mean – that their email addresses will not be sold to other businesses or marketers, and that all email and other correspondence will be secure so that no one can intercept any revealing information.

Many places promise this, but few deliver. My advice is to get in the habit of reading the confidentiality statements of companies with which you do business to make sure they are on the ball when it comes to privacy.

The security of payment information is even more critical. Internet thieves get more and more clever when it comes to stealing credit card and bank account information online; the more sophisticated the encryption system used by the website, the less chance there is of someone getting hold of your numbers and stealing your money. Again, in order to avoid this, make sure that the sites with which you do business have taken the time and trouble to ensure the highest levels of security for your well-earned payments.