Monica Eaton Weighs in On Importance of HTTPS Protocol
When we’re browsing a site, many of us don’t typically pay much attention to the URL at the top of the page. Chargebacks911® COO Monica Eaton, a leading expert in online security, recently spoke with Michelle Franzen of ABC News about why consumers should take note of the protocol at the beginning of that address.
HTTPS—as opposed to HTTP—is a secure protocol. Information communicated using this protocol is encrypted, making it much harder for criminals to access.
“It’s so easy to get into a rush, and just stop paying attention to where a website takes you. Specifically, when you’re at a web form, ready to enter your credit card details,” Monica says. You should take that extra half-second to glance at the URL at the top of the page, though. After all, it could mean the difference between protecting yourself and falling victim to online fraud.
Of course, while there’s no sure-fire method to stop fraud, checking that the site’s URL begins with HTTPS means you have an extra layer of protection.
“[The URL] should always be HTTPS, at the very top, and then whatever the domain is,” Monica explains. “If that is not protected, that means that your data is not being encrypted. As a result, you have your data, as you enter it, being exposed.”
You can listen to a short clip of Monica’s full interview below:
