Our Web Site's Security

We don't handle any credit card or other financial data on this web site, so such information is not stored by this web site or by the NASG itself. We have our own built-in online shopping cart system on this web site, but when you decide to buy the items in your shopping cart, your data is copied to PayPal, which is where you complete your actual financial transactions. PayPal is responsible for keeping your financial data secure. This guarantees that the NASG remains in compliance with U.S. and international laws regarding our (not) storing of customers' financial data.

We have this web site set up so that when you visit, you are automatically routed to the secure version of this web site. You should be able to see the "https://..." in the web site's address bar of your web browser. The "s" indicates that you are viewing the secure version. So, since we don't maintain financial data, does the NASG's web site need to be secure? Not explicitly. However, there are three reasons for why we set it up this way:

1. When you log into the "Members Only" portal of the web site, your personal information can be retrieved and shown on the site. Only you can see that information (unless someone is looking over your shoulder). The transfer of this data from the NASG web server to your web browser is handled by encrypting the data on the server and decrypting it in your web browser, thus preventing anyone from spying or tapping into the communication channel.
2. On a secure web site, no one can see what you are doing, or what you are typing into the web site's forms (entities interested in what you do online might include marketing people, hackers, thieves, governments, etc.).
3. Starting in 2020 most major web browsers are at least warning you when you visit a non-secure web site, even if the web site you are visiting has no financial transactions on it. Since our site is secure, you should never see such warnings in your web browser.

We try to make all links to external web sites be ones that use the secure version. However, not all sites have a secure version available, in which case we have to use their non-secure version. We strongly recommend not engaging in financial transactions on a web site that is not secure. Always check to see if your web browser indicates that the web site is secure (or you are viewing the "https://..." version of their site) before entering any personal information.