Read it and hope the company means what it says. The Internet works by sending information from one computer to another until the information reaches its final destination. When information is being sent from a home computer to any given Web site, other computers have the capacity to peek in and see what is being sent. This is why computer hackers have a hobby. And that's why computer gurus created encryption and other protective measures.
Encryption is the process of scrambling data so that only the intended receiver can use it.
To be effective, encryption needs to be used by both the sender and the receiver. Internet Explorer shows a closed padlock icon and Netscape Navigator shows a key icon. While encryption can alleviate one's concerns about using a credit card online, there exist other manners of invasion of privacy. Anyone in the world has the potential to find out something about you. The information highway leads to a wealth of personal information available to all eyes, at the ease of one's fingertips.