Your Order is Safe
Introduction
At Cloanto we purchase a lot of software online ourselves, and we are aware of the security, privacy and reliability concerns which naturally come to everybody's mind when buying something over the internet. We have therefore carefully selected our online distribution partner, and we would like to explain in more detail how the order process works.
Security
When you click one of the order links displayed on this web site, your browser will open Cloanto's secure order pages managed by Digital River. Digital River is the largest online software distributor in the world, with clients such as Adobe, Corel, Lotus and IBM.
All order data, like your name and credit card number, is transmitted in an encrypted format ("SSL protocol") between your web browser and Digital River. Your browser will display a lock or a key symbol (usually in the lower part of the window frame) to confirm this. The processing of the credit card data, taking place between Digital River and the credit card agent, is also processed fully automatically and encrypted. We have never had a single problem or complaint about this service. We do not receive any credit card data from Digital River.
Credit card fraud is an issue which ends up in the news from time to time, especially when it happens online. It is indeed true that the internet makes it easier to try and place an order using a stolen credit card numbers. But numbers from stolen cards or written down by thieves at restaurants, gas stations or from receipts which ended up in the trash have been an issue for decades, and on the internet this is a problem that online merchants (resellers), not buyers (consumers), need to be prepared for. Credit card companies have always, in different ways, shielded consumers from the liabilities involved in these matters.
Unlike when your credit card physically leaves the room in a restaurant or shop, for example, no party between your browser and the Digital River server - not even your ISP (internet service provider) - can read the contents of these secure transmissions. We believe that this offers more protection than a fax transmission, for example, which anybody "listening" along the phone line (e.g. where the telephone wires enter a building) can, in theory, intercept. As to the database where the numbers end up being stored, that is the same system where numbers are stored after a telephone or fax order. Unlike smaller vendors, however, which sometimes store the data on the same computers which also act as web servers, our partners store sensitive data in a physically and electronically secured "fortress".
While it is known that a few online systems have been "cracked", this was due to the same criminal intent and lack of preparation that can also be found in the "offline" world. Any reputable company knows very well that customer data should not be stored on a system which acts as a web server or which is accessible from the internet, and knows how to control who can access this data. We believe that in choosing Digital River we uncompromisingly chose the best security available, even if it costs us a little bit more than other services.
Recommendations
Should you ever require assistance in relation to an order (e.g. download or payment), please follow the instructions on this page for a quick solution. Based on our experience, may we recommend the following:
- Before confirming the order, please double-check the items and the quantity fields. You can order multiple licenses for a product, but you don't want to do this by mistake.
- Click the final confirmation button only once.
- Take a note of the product license key (a 20-digit number, like 12345-12345-12345-12345) as soon as it appears on the screen, on the page with your order confirmation. The number will also be emailed to you, but email is sometimes subject to delays, and even a little typo in the address could cause it to bounce.
- Make a backup copy of the downloaded file.
Should you ever make a mistake and be charged for it, you can ask Digital River for a refund.
