How do we keep private information secure?
To keep your private information secure, we employ strong encryption.

What is encryption?
Encryption is the complex mathematical process of scrambling data before it is sent to the intended receiver so that no one can view the data during transmission. This prevents third parties from viewing your data over the Internet. Once the data has safely reached its destination, it is unscrambled with a secret “key”. This “key” is the controller of the mathematical encryption of the data, and creates the unique text that has been transmitted can be unscrambled only with the “key”. Only the sender of the data and its intended recipient have access to the “key”.

Encryption “keys” of sufficient length and selected at random are very difficult to break. Computers use a binary number that is usually 40- to 128-bits in length as the “key”. The larger the “key”, the more difficult it is to decode the message while in transit. 128-bit encryption is the highest encryption level used by Web browsers today.

Before the data transfer begins, the “key” (or random number) is chosen by our system and your computer. The encryption level on your web browser determines the length of the “key”.

To ensure that you are using the strongest available (128-bit) encryption, make sure you are using the latest version of Internet Explorer. To check your encryption level, click your browser’s “Help” and select “About”. If you see “128-bit” encryption or cipher strength, your browser has the strongest available encryption level.