When you go to any site that begins with HTTPS you get to view a security certificate. Is it important to have this? What is it exactly anyways?
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If an organization wants to have a secure web site that uses encryption, it needs to obtain a site, or host, certificate. Some steps you can take to help determine if a site uses encryption are to look for a closed padlock in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window and to look for “https:” rather than “http:” in the URL (see Protecting Your Privacy for more information). By making sure a web site encrypts your information and has a valid certificate, you can help protect yourself against attackers who create malicious sites to gather your information. You want to make sure you know where your information is going before you submit anything
If a web site has a valid certificate, it means that a certificate authority has taken steps to verify that the web address actually belongs to that organization. When you type a URL or follow a link to a secure web site, your browser will check the certificate for the following characteristics:
the web site address matches the address on the certificate
the certificate is signed by a certificate authority that the browser recognizes as a “trusted” authority