SSL Encryption

Apart from blocking requests from Phormed ISPs, SSL encryption is the only way to be certain that Phorm cannot read or use the content of your web site.

Phorm will, however, be able to tell whether or not a given user has visited your site, when, how frequently.

Even that information could be used to yield marketing profile data. For example whether a user visits a bank before or after making a purchase. Which bank they use. Which day of the month they do online banking.

How to Encrypt your Web Site

The method of encrypting your site will vary according to the nature of the hosting service you use, the hosting provider you use, and the web server you use. You may need expert help to ensure your site is properly protected. The cost of encryption on this site was £30.00 (approximately $60, or 50 euro).

For general information about SSL, see this Wikipedia page.

There is abundant information online for Apache and Internet Information Server.

If you don't want or need to buy a certificate, and you're feeling brave, you can create a 'self signed certificate'. Self-signed certificates are ideal for personal use, or for use on a web site with a restricted audience (such as a company extranet, or club for example).

Tools like OpenSSL can be used to generate self signed certificates for free.