Online transactions are secure on the consumer side due to encryption built into most web browsers.
Encryption is the process by which data is scrambled and then sent from one computer to another, where it is re-assembled. As Oakes notes, encryption is usually too tough for hackers to crack, so they most often resort to trying to break into computers where credit card data is stored. Those computers are often very difficult to crack. Donor data is only accessible by the RU Foundation. If users fail to decline third party offers during these protocols, their personal data is packaged for resale or brokering.