The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on 25 May 2018 to ensure uniform data protection throughout the EU. The GDPR affects all websites that request personal data, i.e. email addresses (e.g. via newsletters or downloads), login data entered by users in the browser, contact or order forms and all online shops.
Is SSL encryption of my website important or even mandatory?
The use of an SSL certificate for websites has been recommended for some time and is also categorised positively by Google for search engine rankings. Google penalises websites that do not have an SSL certificate
If your website does not have a valid SSL certificate, visitors will receive a warning - in the worst case even an error message. Many visitors will then close the page.
When using a website, personal data of the visitor can be collected via various input fields and processed for the respective request. Unsecured input can be tapped and even changed by third parties without being noticed. Without SSL encryption, you enable an attack on sensitive data!
In addition to these aspects, it should also be mentioned that an SSL certificate is mandatory under the GDPR if you offer a contact form on your website, for example. An infringement can be penalised with a fine of up to €50,000.
What is "SSL" anyway?
SSL certificates are an all-encompassing measure to protect personal data and create trust. A small lock symbol in the browser bar indicates when we are using SSL encryption. But what is SSL?
SSL stands for "Secure Sockets Layer". It is a network protocol for the secure transmission of data. Websites can be equipped with the SSL certificate. Put simply, all data traffic from a website to the visitor and vice versa is encrypted so that the transmitted data cannot be viewed or intercepted by anyone else. This is often important for companies in order to be seen as trustworthy by their customers. The encrypted access to a website always takes place via https before the entered URL.
If you need support for the encryption of your website, please feel free to contact me!
