One certification authority even claims to have five tiers of physical security using metal keys, with the last three tiers requiring fingerprint identification. Another privacy safeguard is encryption. Encryption is a procedure that makes the contents of a file unintelligible to anyone not authorized to read it, requiring the recipient to un-encrypt the message at the other end with an electronic key provided by the sender. Though not really encryption, these types of programs add a certain number of alphabetical letters to the intended letter, making it only difficult, but not impossible, to read. Obviously, a hacker need only count backwards the number of letters the program adds to the original text.
Real encryption is based upon algorithmic calculations that defy the imagination.
Until recently, 128-bit encryption was not even allowed to be exported, and the U.S. Department of Commerce required companies to qualify before purchasing such encryption power. These security and privacy concerns are real and must be addressed when building our online communications systems. It is not only a matter of security, but private and confidential communications are what your clients expect. Law firms would be prudent to anticipate business clients' needs to assure their clients don't click elsewhere.