How can explain the secure checkout process to someone who doesn't understand computers?

Question

How can explain the secure checkout process to someone who doesn't understand computers?

Answer 1

Secure checkout? As in, paying for something online, over a secure connection?

If that is indeed what you're asking about, it's pretty simple;

There is a secure connection between you and whoever you're paying. Think of it as you meeting with someone to pay them some money. You are Your Computer, they are the recipients' computer. He is constantly showing you a government certificate saying that he can be trusted. He can verify that you're in a soundproof room, with only one, constantly monitored, afe way out. Just to make things safe, any communications between the two of you are written, then put into a machine which translates your communications into an incredibly complex code (that would take all of the computers in the world a few years to crack) that only you and him know how to decipher.

You can then tell him your card details safe in the knowledge that anyone trying to look on from outside would find it virtually imposible to work out what is going on in the room.

However, someone could find out by putting a bug on either person's jacket (this represents a hacker putting keylogging or screen capture software on either PC), but hopefully you can rely on a good jacket checking regime to make sure that doesnt happen (Anti-virus, firewall etc.)

Hows that?