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The Sinclair Institute's secure server software encrypts all of your personal information including credit card number, name and address so that it cannot be read as the information travels over the Internet. The encryption process takes the characters you enter and converts them into bits of code that are securely transmitted over the Internet.

However, if you're uncomfortable using your credit card on the Internet, you can order directly from Sinclair by calling 1-800-955-0888 ext. 8NET2.

In addition, any personal information, including name, address, phone or email, obtained by the Sinclair Institute as a result of an online transaction will not be rented or sold to another company.

more information on secure ordering

This site is secure from others stealing your credit card information. Your credit card and personal information are code-encrypted for security.

How can you tell if the order is secure?

Sinclair Institute realizes how important security is to you, so we've taken a number of steps that help enhance the safety and confidentiality of transmissions of private information sent from Sinclair Institute over the Internet.

Today most online ordering is secure, provided that your browser can support secure transactions. You can tell that you are in a secure environment when the key at the bottom left of the page is complete or lock is closed. When the key is complete (or lock closed), all information exchanged is encrypted and cannot be accessed by anyone else.

To ensure safety and confidentiality, we utilize Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology, the industry standard for transferring sensitive information over the Internet. When you enter your credit card information online, it is encrypted so others cannot access it. Whenever we ask you to send confidential information over the Internet, including personal account data, we require that a "secure session" using SSL first be established.

It works as follows: SSL technology secretly encodes information as it is being sent over the Internet between your computer and Sinclair Institute helping to ensure that the information remains confidential. The use of SSL requires two components:

• an SSL-compatible browser
• and a web server at Sinclair Institute to perform the data exchange that establishes an SSL connection.

Examples of SSL browsers include Netscape 2.0 and later versions, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 2.0 and later versions, and the Web browser for America Online version 3.0 for Windows. (Note that some older versions of browsers will not support SSL sessions).

Additionally, our VeriSign Digital ID ensures data integrity, as it is used as a key to encrypt the information before transfer. Look for the "https://" in the URL of order form pages. This is the confirmation that you are using a secure web site.

Shopping On The Internet: Why all the fuss about security risks?

Shop with confidence. Your personal information will not be read by anyone else. For many customers, one of the greatest fears about shopping on the Internet is having your credit card number stolen and credit rating ruined with unauthorized purchases.

This fear is a myth.

Shopping directly on the Internet is a new way of doing business. It's easy to fear the unknown, especially when it comes to your money. But how about these situations?

• A criminal finds credit card receipt carbons in a store trash can, uses the numbers and then sells them to another crook, who uses the numbers and resells them to another crook who resells them.
• You hand your credit card to a waiter in a restaurant, who then leaves with it to prepare your bill. Or is he calling in his order to another catalog company?
• You dial up your cellular or cordless phone to order shoes from a catalog, and your next door neighbor picks up your information on her baby monitor?

All of the above (and other scenarios) happen every day. They illustrate a point. All the talk about 'Internet security' is blown out of proportion. How often do you hear about the anxiety of using your credit card in a restaurant? Or about the danger of allowing a hotel front-desk clerk to confirm your room?

When you shop online with a merchant who offers a Secure Server, all the information you give (name, address, credit card number) is encrypted. That means your information goes out as code. If a hacker could get it, it would likely be gibberish. Your credit card never leaves your hand, it is never picked up by monitors or scanners, and receipts are never found in a trashcan.