What is the difference between security and privacy?
Privacy refers to the collection and use of your personal information, whereas, web site security is a system of safeguards that prevent unauthorized parties from reading or modifying information in secured areas.
What security measures does guardianinvestor.com use?
Our site uses current web server technology, which provides us with data encryption and authentication features. Certain communications between you and guardianinvestor.com are protected by a "Secure Sockets Layer." This feature will let you know when the page you are viewing is secure.
SSL is a technology that is used to establish a secure connection between your PC and the web server. SSL allows all data transmitted between the server and your computer to be encrypted even while traveling across multiple networks. The encryption is achieved through an electronic scrambling technology that uses "keys" to encrypt and decrypt data. The "keys" for each secure session are established and retired automatically by the SSL program; it is not necessary for you to learn to operate an encryption program. GIS uses SSL encryption that provides the maximum encryption key length (up to 128 bits) allowed by your browser when transmitting your information. The longer the key, the more secure the encrypted data. A 128-bit key is like a 16-character password.
Of course, no security system is completely foolproof, and no site can guarantee that it is impervious to security breaches. Be assured, however, that GIS takes security issues very seriously, and we strive to use the most up-to-date security measures possible.
How does guardianinvestor.com handle cookies?
To personalize your experience on our web site, we may assign your computer browser a unique random ID, called a "cookie." A cookie is a small file that is sent to your computer by a web site's server. A cookie can be a record of your visit to a site, including information such as your user name, registration information, time of last visit, pages viewed, etc.
Certain portions of our site may require that you accept cookies if you wish to enter. While you are inside our web site, you may receive a pop-up box asking if you would like to "accept the cookie" (assuming you have your browser preferences set to notify you about cookies). You must answer "yes" in order to advance beyond the area that prompted the message.
Cookies enhance web site performance in several important ways: they provide a secure way for us to verify your identity during your online session, they personalize your experience on our site, and they make your visit to our site more convenient for you. It also allows us to understand how people are using our site so that we can improve your experience on the site.
Your privacy and security are not compromised when you accept a cookie from our web site. We do not use cookies to collect personal information. Cookies from a secure site are encrypted and sent securely, and a cookie can't read data from your computer's hard disk or read cookie files from other web sites.
Information in GIS's cookies is not accessible to other sites. Cookies are small files (just a few hundred bytes) and won't pose any significant disk-space concerns. Some web sites use cookies from third-party service providers or third-party network advertisers. The GIS web site does not use these third party cookies.
You can clear any and all cookies from your hard drive any time you wish. However, deleting these cookies may mean that any long-term settings (such as your stored User Name) will need to be reset. You can also set your browser not to accept cookies or to alert you each time you receive one. However, we recommend that you not do so. You might find it cumbersome to need to constantly re-enter information and to be alerted to each cookie you'll encounter.
How can I tell if I am on a secure page?
Different browsers indicate a secure page in different ways, as in our examples below:
|
Browser/version |
secure page... |
non-secure page... |
Internet Explorer
4.x |
in the lower right-hand corner |
(no padlock icon) |
Netscape
4.x |
in the lower left-hand corner |
in the lower left-hand corner |
In general, if you see a closed padlock then the page is secure.
Will any of my personal information be sold to third parties?
Your privacy is one of our biggest priorities. Information about users of guardianinvestor.com is not sold to any third party. Our
privacy policy
should help answer any other questions you may have about this topic, along with what information is gathered on the site and how it is used.
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