Clicking
on the button below will take you to the Answers.com site
which is not part of the Georia ICAC site.
Please
read Answers.com terms of use and privacy polices.
Technology
Links
Online Shopping
What
is Online Shopping?
Online
shopping is electronic commerce (e-commerce) and is the
"conducting of business communication and transactions
over networks and through computers. As most restrictively
defined, electronic commerce is the buying and selling of
goods and services, and the transfer of funds, through digital
communications." 1
Dictionary.com at www.nref.com/dictionary.htm
Online
shopping has changed the shopping habits of many people.
Books and music are two of the biggest sellers. Many of
the traditional "brick and mortar" stores now
have virtual storefronts online. It is quick and convenient
to go online, research and purchase an item without having
to leave your home. The virtual store fronts are designed
to make shopping and purchasing an item as easy as possible.
Dangers:
It
is so easy to shop online that it is easy to overspend and
build up credit card debt. Parents should be very cautious
when letting teens shop online. Many inappropriate items
are available for sale on the Internet, including drugs,
alcohol, tobacco and weapons.
The
fact that you are transmitting your credit card number over
the network is also a concern. Make certain that the site
is using SSL (Secure Socket Layer). One indication is a
little padlock or key icon (image) will appear in the status
bar at the bottom of the browser. In addition, the normal
"http://" in the address bar at the top should
read "https://". The SSL encrypts or
scrambles your data for transmission to the server.
Some sites will retain the credit card number in their database
so that you do not have to transmit the number every time,
however, you are trusting that they have a secure database,
and all database backups are handled in a secure fashion.
Be
cautious and use well-known retailers, after all anyone
can put up a site. There have been instances of fraudulent
sites that take orders and payment and shut down without
ever delivering the product.
