What does the GET method do in relation to web page form data?

The GET method is used in web development to send form data to a server by appending it to the URL in a query string format. This allows users to see the submitted data directly in the browser’s address bar, which can be useful for bookmarking or sharing URLs but may raise privacy concerns since sensitive information is exposed. This visibility is a key characteristic of the GET method, differentiating it from the POST method, which sends data in the request body and keeps it hidden from the URL.

The other options do not accurately describe the function of the GET method. For instance, GET does not process data in an encrypted format, nor does it submit data as a background process, as that is typically associated with AJAX requests. Additionally, GET does not clear form data after submission; rather, the data remains visible in the URL until the user navigates away or manually clears it. Thus, the correct answer highlights the nature of how data is transmitted using the GET method.