When we say your data is being "submitted securely" we mean we're using SSL-encryption, an industry standard protocol for safely exchanging information. The important part here is that your information is encrypted so that only your computer and the Camp Web Site can see or understand it.
That's great, but what exactly is SSL-encryption?
For those of you interested, a somewhat more technical explanation can be found at Netscape (the creators of the SSL protocol).
OK, but my browser says the page may not be secure. What's the deal?
SSL-encryption comes with some costs. A common "cost" is that secure pages load more slowly. To minimize the effect on performance, we do not use SSL-encryption on the pages we send to you that do not contain sensitive information (like your password). We only secure the sensitive data that you send to us. Our web servers start using SSL-encryption when you click on the Secure Submission button.
Although this is a perfectly safe and secure method used by many sites (for example Yahoo and MSN), it does have a few confusing side effects you may encounter.
- Your browser will not identify the page as secure because the pages we send you are not encrypted
- When you submit your data to us, your browser will detect you are about to send data using SSL-encryption from a page it does not consider secure. Depending on your browser configuration, you may see a warning message.
- When you are finished sending us your data and we start sending you web pages, your browser will detect that you are no longer using SSL-encryption. Depending on your browser configuration, you may see a warning message.