The safety of personal data is the most important topic in society right now. With new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) coming into force next month, there is an increasing need to keep websites secure. With SSL Certification you can ensure the safety of your customer’s personal data.
At First Digital Media, it means a lot to us that all our client’s websites are safe. That is why we are providing SSL certification for websites with us. For more information, call us on 01524 544346.
What is SSL?
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates authenticate the identity of a website and encrypt information sent to the server. This makes it incredibly difficult for potential thieves to steal data. The new security feature impacts on companies that are business to consumer (B2C).
SSL uses an internet communication protocol known as HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) to protect the confidentiality and integrity of data between a customer and website. We’re all used to seeing a HTTP at the start of an address bar, but SSL changes this.
HTTPS is widely used by websites and can be easily spotted by a green padlock at the start of your website address in the search bar.
The Importance of SSL Certification
Having SSL Certification in place is important because it helps to keep customer’s data safe. Customers are savvier when it comes to their internet security, making sure that websites are safe before entering their data. Google have publicly supported the use of SSL, bringing in changes to search engines.
Chrome Security Product Manager Emily Schechter has said:
“For the past several years, we’ve moved toward a more secure web by strongly advocating that sites adopt HTTPS encryption. And within the last year, we’ve also helped users understand that HTTP sites are not secure by gradually marking a larger subset of HTTP pages as “not secure”. Beginning in July 2018 with the release of Chrome 68, Chrome will mark all HTTP sites as “not secure”.
Future rankings of websites will be affected if they do not have SSL. The search engine plan to mark websites without the certification as insecure by July 2018. This will be easy to see in the top corner of a search bar on any website. If there is no green padlock, then the safety of a website cannot be guaranteed.
SSL certification keeps your website up-to-date with security protocols.
SSL and the New GDPR Guidelines
Many businesses, large and small, have been bringing new browser security in to protect their client’s personal data. The new GDPR guidelines require businesses in the European Union to report any data breaches to their country’s regulatory body with 72 hours. It is important that appropriate security measures are put into place by a business to protect personal data. The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) are the main regulatory body for the UK and any breach should be reported to them.
SSL Certification is a step you can take towards protecting personal data. The security system encrypts any data that is inputted into your website by a customer. This includes contact forms and requests for information. Protecting this data is important as thieves can use it to target individuals. It is important that steps are taken to protect the following types of personal data:
- Names
- Addresses
- ID
- IP addresses
- Cookie data
- RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) Tags
- Health and genetic
- Biometric
- Racial and ethnic
- Political opinions
- Sexual orientation
Access to any of these can give scammers enough to personally target people. SSL helps to prevent data such as this getting into the wrong hands.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about SSL Certification and the importance of website security, then do not hesitate to contact our team. You can call us today on 01524 544346 or fill in our online contact form.
