Electronic commerce encompasses all aspects of using the Internet for business or personal use.
Now, more than ever, a great deal of business is performed in one way or another over the Internet. For some, it is simply the ease of communication, for others, having the ability to research topics, products, or even people makes the Internet an absolute necessity for business. Businesses have begun exploiting the Internet for commercial transactions. Recognizing the dangers in sending confidential information over an inherently insecure media, a number of secure data transport protocols have emerged. Minimally, these protocols encrypt sensitive information such as credit card numbers to prevent unauthorized people from capturing the data.