i don't notice a lock on the bottom of my browser .does that mean that the website is unsecured .what can i do

Answer 1

this little 'lock on the bottom' is one indication that there is a secure (and fairly safe) connection between you and an endpoint server. another way to check for this is read the browser address bar; which will read: https:// (the 's' means secure.)
be careful: some crooked websites put their own 'little lock' on the bottom of a page to fool unsuspecting/careless folks.
it's about as secure as ya can get, because after your data makes it's first jump to your ISP, it is no longer encrypted for as many jumps as necessary, until it's last jump, when it's re-encrypted.
total transmission encryption can only be attained by using Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Answer 2

What threat are you trying to protect against? SSL (the lock) at the bottom of the screen gives you end-to-end encryption. This protects you from someone snooping on the line and collecting important information.

However, most of the time this is overkill. I don't really care if someone looks at this answer. I'm posting it to a public forum.

I wouldn't/don't put my credit card information on any screen that isn't protected by SSL, but for most other transactions, I don't care.

Answer 3

You only need the SSL security when you are entering personal information. Most websites don't use it on regular pages.